Victor Hugo Cuevas (Photo: Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office)
HOUSTON - Bond has been set for the man who police say left a west Houston home with a tiger.
Victor Hugo Cuevas, 26, is charged with felony evading arrest. He was taken into custody on Monday evening, but the tiger is still missing.
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A magistrate set his bond at $50,000 on Tuesday.
Authorities say Cuevas was already out on bond for a murder charge in Fort Bend County. The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office says they have filed a motion to revoke his bond for that charge. A hearing is set for Friday.
Houston police received a report on Sunday evening about a tiger on Ivy Wall Drive near Riverlace Drive.
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Man arrested, tiger seen roaming in Houston still missing
The attorney for 26-year-old Victor Cuevas says his client doesn't own the tiger and has no idea where it is.
Prior to officers' arrival, video shows the tiger walking in front of a house. Cellphone video also shows an off-duty deputy confronting the tiger. The deputy can be seen with his gun out, but he never fires.
Police say Victor Cuevas is the man who was then seen on video taking the tiger inside a home. According to HPD, Cuevas then put the tiger in his vehicle and left the scene.
Police say responding officers attempted to pursue the vehicle, but lost sight of it a short time later.
Cuevas was arrested Monday evening in Fort Bend County. According to his attorney, he had been driving to turn himself in at the Harris County Jail. In addition, the tiger has not been located. The attorney claims the tiger doesn’t belong to Cuevas.
Houston does not allow tigers in city limits except in specific cases, such as at an accredited public zoo.
This is not the first time a tiger has been found in Houston. In 2019, police and BARC were alerted to a report of a tiger inside a southeast Houston home after someone called 311 anonymously. The tiger was taken to an animal sanctuary.