COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - A Kansas City man accused of 17 animal abuse charges wants to bring live alligators into a Columbia courtroom when he goes on trial in July.
The Columbia Daily Tribune (http://bit.ly/KOz110 ) reports an attorney for 67-year-old Ken Henderson made the request to Boone County Circuit Judge Christine Carpenter.
Henderson was charged last June after animal control officials searched his van at Boone County Fairgrounds and found several animals, including seven alligators.
Attorney Kevin O'Brien says the defense wants to show jurors that the alligators are domesticated and that Henderson takes care of them like pets.
Henderson, who has appeared on the cable channel Animal Planet, was ordered last year not to bring his animals back to Boone County.
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Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, http://www.columbiatribune.com