"What on Earth is that?!" he shouted. "Take that ugly thing away from me!" His tenant just stood there, laughing at him.
"Well, this is what you get for evicting me," he explained. "You brought it upon yourself!" What had happened?
The Sheriff
The landlord arrived at their door with the sheriff and a few officials to remove all the belongings. They were prepared to evict the occupants of the house, who had been making his life a living hell over the last few years.
But no one was prepared for what they would find inside the house.
Smelly House
A strong smell of rot in the house stopped everyone dead in their tracks. The place looked like it hadn't been cleaned in months. There was garbage everywhere, even in the tenant's bed!
But where was the tenant?
The Tenant
The tenant was standing in the backyard peacefully explaining to a camera crew how he managed to get away with all of this.
He appeared to be calm, but deep inside, he felt rage. He was prepared to fight until the very end.
The Kitchen
When the officials entered Sean Casey's kitchen, they saw a sharp knife carefully laid out on the kitchen countertop. It was covered in blood and puss.
Then, they saw the meat...
No Remorse
Sean showed no remorse about what he had done. "You don't want to enter the kitchen, trust me," he warned the sheriff.
While the officials were waiting for backup to arrive, his landlord and the sheriff began dumping all of Sean's clothes and furniture out on the pavement. But what exactly was he being punished for?
'Katfish'
Inside what was at first thought to be a hot tub was floating the largest alligator animal control workers had ever seen.
Seven-foot-long 'Katfish" had been living in Sean's home for the last four years. But that wasn't all.
More Animals
Sean's house held three other reptiles, including the ball python and two boa constrictors.
A kitten and a rabbit were also found in one of the rooms. The animal control moved Katfish to Monkey Island Rescue and Sanctuary in nearby Greenwood, and the rabbit and snakes went to a local shelter KC Pet Project. But what about Sean?
Massive In Size
“This thing was massive in size, and it took over four of us to handle this,” James Donovan with KC Animal Control said about Katfish. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the alligator was clearly unhappy.
Although exotic animals like snakes and alligators were prohibited in Kansas City, that doesn't mean Sean will not fight for his beloved pets.
Not Giving Up
“I don’t know what the procedure will be to get him back, but I’m going to fight to get him back,” he said.
“He had his own way of saying, ‘Hi,’ to people,” Sean told the camera crew. “They’re not big ferocious animals like people think. They have personalities.”
Like A Dog
Sean said he fed Katfish deer, steak, fish, and chicken nuggets. He also mentioned that his beloved pet acted like a dog.
“He was like a dog. I don’t think he knew he was an alligator,” he said. “I tell people all the time I’ve got an alligator who can`t swim. He is scared of the dark and scared of thunderstorms.”
Gentle Alligator
Like a dog, the alligator walked around Sean's house.
“I built him a ramp to get back in his tank because he is a big lizard. He was going to come out and play. He liked to come out and play,” Sean said. “Oddly enough, he liked to come to sit on my lap.”
A Unique Pet
"He told me about how unique it was that he built this, basically a pool in his living room, and he would fill it with water. Katfish was just sitting there like me, and you are sitting here right now," one of the reporters said.
"He used to take Katfish through the Mcdonald's drive-thru line, and everybody knew who he was. He would sit right next to him." So, did Sean get his reptile back?
Where Is Katfish Now?
Sean is still working on his plan to get his beloved pet back.
“It would be great for Katfish to stay with his owner because his owner is a wonderful caretaker, but at the end of the day, we are just looking for a place where Katfish doesn’t have to move around,” one of the wildlife workers said.
Jungle Law
Sean has enlisted the help of a local law firm. “I feel like when there is an exotic animal in Kansas City, it makes sense to call Jungle law, so people tend to reach out to us,” Jungle Law attorney Lauren Sierra said.
“I knew he was passionate about this animal. He grew him up from 12 inches to almost 7-and-a-half feet, now 200 pounds,” Jungle Law attorney Tristen Woods explained. “He’s very well-kept. He said he kept him better than he does himself, and by looking at him, I think that is the truth.” Sean also started a GoFundMe account called KATFISH.