That's because he *burned* that many calories. In full training or competition he eats, and burns, upwards of 10,000(!) calories a day.

The worst I've heard of though is Iditarod dogs which are fed something like 70% fat during a race. It turns out that's the only to get enough calories (10,000-12,000 daily) into their little digestive systems, and they can burn fat at that rate.

As for the Sheriff: he's talking big, but what does the DA say? It's the DA whose budget will have to foot the bill of a legal fight with a well-funded defendant. There are a bunch of reasons a DA may not care to take on this case. Basically, there's nothing the Sheriff can do if the DA says no.