Ezekiel Elliott was able to run rampant on Sunday for the Dallas Cowboys, but the running back is making news for a peculiar reason. On Tuesday, Elliott's dad was charged with a highly unusual crime.

According to reports, Elliott's dad, Stacy El-Muhammad, is facing 21 charges after illegally owning and releasing a serval. A serval is a wild African cat that is illegal to own in Ohio without having a permit.

El-Muhammad apparently let the serval out of his residence and the cat ended up attacking a neighbor's dog. Upon the arrival of the police, the serval was shot and killed after the police saw the cat as a threat.

Following the incident, Elliott's dad denied that the serval was under his possession. But by looking further into the situation, the police were able to trace the serval back to El-Muhammad after discovering a microchip that showed he purchased the animal.

The charges that Elliott's dad faces includes a fifth-degree felony. The felony charge was made against him for intentionally allowing an exotic animal to escape.

In addition, El-Muhammad is also facing a charge for owning the serval without a permit. As a result, he could be prepared to serve a maximum of six months in jail and receive a $1,000 fine.

First and foremost, this situation shows that the ownership of exotic animals needs to be taken seriously. There's no reason that a serval should have its life taken due to the negligence of its owner.

For Elliott, this is definitely an uncanny situation to be dealing with during the season. Especially when he has a vital matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16.