Jeffrey G. Kozlowski, Bank Robber?

“Jeff Kozlowski robbed the bank in Dalton WI in the early 1990's and was in prison for the armed bank robbery”  Some things catch your attention.

Jeffrey G. Kozlowski was charged with theft of movable property greater than $2500.  This charge was amended up to armed robbery which was then pled down to guilty of robbery with threat of force.  Sentenced to state prison for 7 years in 1996.  The offense was committed 11/17/1995.

Could this possibly be Jeff Kozlowski, “owner” of Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue & Educational Center (WBCR)?  Surely not but wait because it just might be the one and same Jeff Kozlowski.  Let’s see what we have…

Jeffrey G. Kozlowski, born 08-08-1972.  Well that age would match up with his age as shown on MySpace.  That middle initial matches up with the name Sauk County sued him in.  And, my goodness, but Jeffrey G. Kozlowski appears to be no stranger to the criminal side of the judicial system.

  • 1991: Theft of movable property, probation, deferred adjudication*
  • 1992: Telecom service fraud, probation w/ deferred adjudication**
  • 1992: Opening letters w/o consent, dismissed**
  • 1993: Disorderly conduct, fine
  • 1994: Battery, dismissed
  • 1995: The above robbery
  • 1995 : Forgery, 3 counts, 2 counts dismissed and 9 months jail on the 3rd count
  • 1995: Hot checks, fine and restitution
  • 1995: Retail theft, fine and 2 months jail
  • 1995: Hot checks, restitution and 3 days jail
  • 1996: Forgery, dismissed
  • 2002: Judgment against him for some unemployment compensation matter.
  • 2003: Riverside Finance gets a Replevin against him (repo of a Pontiac Firebird)
  • 2004: Franklin Financial Replevin (repo) against him and Jenny Meyer
  • 2006: Robert McFarlane files for injunction/restraining order against him, Jennifer Meyer, David Carroll, and Joy Carroll
  • 2006: Animal Control Violation
  • 2006: Public Health Nuisance
  • 2006: Keeping of Certain Unrestricted Animals (negotiated fine of $7,500 according to media reports although official file simply says “forfeiture/fine”)
  •      * File shows his address c/o "d. Huelett"
  •      ** same address as 1991 for "d. Huelett"

Most of those 1995 charges and the 1996 charge show me a person who, when caught or knows he will be caught, goes on a crime bender.  He was no child or fresh out of high school in 1995.  He was 23 years old when he started this bender of his.  The 1991-1994 history tells me he knew better; that he knew there would be consequences.  He’d already had his hand slapped a few times but obviously not slapped hard enough.

I do not believe in that concept that one gets a clean slate coming out of jail/prison; one merely gets a chance.  Neither society nor the legal system are required to ignore history because one has “served their time”.  In this case, the chance has shown that this person STILL doesn’t like playing by society’s rules.

If this is Jeff Kozlowski of WBCR it is not a pretty picture.  And there’s more…

I Jeff Kozlowski, established "Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue" in March of 2005. I have been working with big cats for about 8 years, and have had my own since 2002. I am licensed by the USDA as a rescue and educational center.”  I, I, I.

Back in 2006, Jenny Meyer was his fiancé and “co-founder” of WBCR but now he takes all the credit.  It appears that he and Jenny have produced 2 children during their relationship and now Jeff proclaims “open relationship, 2 children” and apparently no marriage.

According to Jenny’s MySpace page, she is but 26 years old with a 6 year old child and a 3 year old child.  That tells me she hitched up with this man when she was less than 20 years old and was pregnant almost immediately and he was 30ish then.  Today, Jenny says: “I am a volunteer at my fiances big cat rescue”.

4 years and Jenny has gone from fiancé and founder to being in an open relationship she may not even know IS open and has been reduced to a mere volunteer, no longer credited as co-founder of WBCR which, as I pointed out in a prior entry, Jeff proclaims he “owns”.  Neither of these people have education beyond high school although I surely suspect that Jeff is more “worldly” than Jenny.

I must admit that Jenny in this video posted just 2 months ago certainly doesn’t look like a volunteer with 3 years experience but that was clearly made at the new WBCR location so if fairly new.  Was all that blather in 2006 just PR?  More videos here (at least until good old Jeff yanks them down, which would be telling in itself).  Note the lack of top bars to the fencing; the listing fence poles; the bareness of the living areas for the great cats with no trees in this area at all and no form of alternative shade except their “houses” and a few (very few) tennis shade clothes on some of the fencing (certainly not close enough to provide shade to the cats being filmed).  Those houses are not concrete as I’d thought from another poorer video I found.  They are plywood, very little protection from the weather provided there and large enough that the cats cannot huddle into a small space to at least keep their own body heat.  Is that chainlink a mere standard 6’ with pole extensions for the top wire?  Seriously?  Well, I’d be concerned about structural integrity even if that’s 8 or 10’ fencing.  But I’m no expert.

Now, let’s see, who could we ask about such a thing…  Well, looky what’s up on Barbara Hoffman’s blog; pictures of her cages under construction.  Hm, top bars, welded and stretched mesh instead of chainlink, near trees for shade…  Maybe I’m not so far off the mark.  And now back to dear Jeff.

I started out by thinking that if you take pictures with these animals, it would make a lot of money… Then I realized all the stress it causes the animal was too much. I stopped the picture taking…”  Did you now, did you really?  “WE ARE NOW CLOSED FOR THE SEASON!!     SEE YOU AGAIN IN THE SPRING...  DON'T FORGET YOUR CAMERA!”  Having a little trouble keeping your story straight?

We are open to the public and run on "Strictly Donations".”  Do you now, do you really?  “Minimum Donation Required!”  Mandatory donations with exclamatory emphasis I see.  Sounds quite a bit like that silly nonsense of calling a sales price an “adoption fee”.  Sure looks like a ticket price or gate fee to me!

Funny how there’s no mention of a board of directors for WBCR on its website since that’s the #1 most common way to say thank you for their volunteer service as board members to a start up NPO.  Is there a board?  A real board?  Somehow I doubt it!

To save the big cats from backyard breeders and exploitation for money.”  Hooey, you’re a breeder and a con man who found a more sympathetic scam!  They taught you well in prison from what I can see.  And just exactly why is it “OK” for big cat rescuers to preserve purebreds while responsible dog and cat breeders are assailed for doing so?

If you’d like to see commentary from the local community who’s surely more “in the know”, scroll down on this page and read through the comments which go on for several pages; surely plenty to read there.  (That’s the source of my opening quote.  And my thanks to “Information” and Melody McFarlane.)  To “Interested”, he’s bringing home kitties who are NOT “fixed” and it sure looks like he paired them up to be nice and pregos by the time they got there!  And it looks like Jeff, Jenny and 2 volunteers were taking care of 23+ cats (and a small child) in late 2008; so say the volunteers posting in the comments.  (While owners regularly have animals seized based on “that small number of people can’t possibly take care of that many animals” claims.”

Jenny, I have counseled many women over the years.  Men with broken wings have to fix themselves.  If they are truly broken, they simply cannot be fixed and “helping them” actually gives them permission to stay broken and gives them a built in excuse and comfort zone; not to mention someone to take their frustrations out on and to blame if/when they fail.

Ms. Duan Hulett, are you the mother of this convict?  Do you think him reformed or did you and your new small town friends plot to get the great cats for the man/boy?  Will it be all the talk of St. Lafayette Sandwich Shop in Jefferson, TX in Marion County?  I wonder if you’ll stay in Jefferson or move half way across the country again.  Small towns do so love to gossip and they have such very long memories, distorted though the memories may be.

And how is Ms. Caroline Wedding’s step daughter doing these days?  Found a replacement career for her law practice since she “resigned” her license?

Small towns, there’s almost always buried secrets, treasures to be dug up; offended tongues that will wag if they get the chance.  Will the secrets over in Marion County, TX, survive external scrutiny or will it all come tumbling down with an investigation?  Was this about snatching up the big cats for Jeff’s breeding or is there more to it?  These little deals in small towns usually get complicated because everybody wants something.  Gotta work in a little SWAG for all involved…

Oh, and bears, bears, bears.  Yes, indeed, there’s a very nice complement of BEARS in Marion County, TX, but more on that later…

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