Where’s the wallaby?

Officials still don’t know the whereabouts of a Jefferson Township man’s former, illegal and exotic pet.

But they knew where the missing marsupial’s one-time owner was today: 60-year-old Kenneth G. Ott was in Butler County Court to be sentenced on charges tampering with physical evidence and unlawful import of game or wildlife.

Ott, who in April pleaded no contest to the charges, was sentenced today to a year of probation and a $100 fine.

Assistant District Attorney Ben Simon took issue with Ott’s repeated refusal to give up the location of the wallaby, which was last seen June 10 on Ott’s Dusty Lane yard.

Wallabies are small kangaroo-like animals native to Australia.

While state law permits exotic animals, like wallabies, to be owned as pets, there are conditions, such as training and permits that Ott did not have.

Court records say a Pennsylvania Game Commission officer spotted the wallaby in a 10-foot-by-10-foot fence near the front porch of Ott’s home.

But when officers return, the wallaby was gone, and Ott refused to tell authorities where it went.

Ott’s no-contest plea means he is not acknowledging guilt, but is choosing not to fight the charges at a trial. However, a no contest plea is given the same weight as a guilty plea for the purpose of sentencing.