The man known as Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, made famous by the hit Netflix series "Tiger King," was arrested by the federal authorities on Friday in Horry County, South Carolina, home to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Antle's now-infamous Myrtle Beach Safari.
Antle was booked into the county's J. Reuben Long Detention Center at 5:38 p.m. local time, according to Myrtle Beach newspaper The Sun News.
There were reportedly no charges listed on the initial arrest records, and those documents had the FBI listed as the arresting agency according to the online records reported on by local outlets.
The owner of the popular Myrtle Beach Safari and one of the stars of the “Tiger King” Netflix documentary series was booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center. https://t.co/nVqcLsY42a
— The Sun News (@TheSunNews) June 3, 2022
WMBF News reported that an FBI source confirmed the agency had arrested Antle, but did not provide any further information.
According to WMBF, animal welfare organization PETA recently urged authorities to launch an investigation into Myrtle Beach Safari and the not-for-profit organization Rare Species Fund of which Antle is named president. Antle has been accused of allegedly misappropriating funds related to those organizations, but it was not confirmed what the latest charges against Antle were by late Friday.
According to The Sun News, a trial date for Oct. 31 has been set related to several misdemeanor and felony charges Antle faces in Virginia for wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty.