A man accused of neglecting dozens of animals on his Elkhorn property, including a zebra, an emu and a menagerie of livestock, was bound over to Douglas County District Court on Monday. Nicholas Sakis now faces felony animal neglect charges stemming from a case that began with a search warrant back in July.
According to KETV, Sakis was bound over Monday in Omaha on charges tied to the July incident. The case traces back to an anonymous tip that prompted the Nebraska Humane Society to seek an authorized search warrant for the property. The organization says its officers found and confiscated a wide range of animals at the scene, from dogs and poultry to ponies, goats, donkeys, alpacas and a zebra.
Just how many animals were pulled from the property depends on which account you read. The Nebraska Humane Society has put the number at about 60, while KETV has reported it was nearly 80, and WOWT has cited a figure of 79 animals confiscated on July 13. All three accounts agree the group included a zebra and an emu, alongside alpacas, ponies, donkeys, pigs, chickens, geese and ducks found near 195th and Pacific Streets in Elkhorn.
What Investigators Found on the Property
Court documents described troubling conditions at the scene. Dead chickens were scattered around the property, along with a dead pig and a dead emu, per the station's report. The same documents said a horse, a pony, cattle and pigs had overgrown hooves, and some cattle appeared thin and undernourished according to court records.
The Nebraska Humane Society said Sakis had been cited a week before the search warrant was carried out, on four counts of animal cruelty. Investigators also flagged regulatory problems at the property, including the absence of any permit for wild animals or a license for the domestic mini pigs kept there, the same account notes.
Charges Pile Up Over the Summer
The charges against Sakis have grown more serious as the case has moved through the courts. Reports describe him facing 14 counts of cruelty to animals, though a separate account put the figure at 13, and he has also been cited on three counts of license requirement for a dog or cat, three counts tied to proof of vaccination, three counts of mini-pig license required, and single counts covering mini-pig number or size restrictions, failure to alter a mini-pig, livestock sanitary conditions, unenclosed poultry, animal nuisance and unlawful possession of a nondomestic animal.
A WOWT report said Sakis was charged with a total of 29 misdemeanors in connection with the case, while additional felony counts have since been filed separately. In September, a warrant was issued for three new felony counts of animal abuse or neglect resulting in serious injury or death. Under Nebraska Revised Statute 28-1009, abandonment or cruel neglect of an animal is a Class IV felony when it results in serious injury, illness or death.
Not Guilty Plea and the Animals' Fate
Sakis pleaded not guilty on Aug. 28, and a jury trial had been scheduled for Sept. 30 before Monday's bindover to district court. A Douglas County judge also denied a temporary restraining order Sakis had sought over the seized animals, ruling that they are now the property of the Nebraska Humane Society.
The humane society has said most of the confiscated animals were doing well after brief examinations at the scene, though three of them later needed surgery. The case now moves forward in district court as the felony neglect allegations proceed alongside the earlier misdemeanor charges.
