DALLAS — A 24-year-old man now involved in an unusual string of crimes that prompted the Dallas Zoo to track down missing animals told police that after he nabbed two monkeys from his cage. them, he put them on the city’s light rail system to make his getaway, court records show.
This image provided by the Dallas County Jail shows David Irvin. He was arrested on February 2 in the case of two monkeys taken from the Dallas Zoo.
Dallas County Jail via AP
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Dallas County Jail via AP
This image provided by the Dallas County Jail shows David Irvin. He was arrested on February 2 in the case of two monkeys taken from the Dallas Zoo.
Dallas County Jail via AP
Davion Irvin also said he loved animals and if released from prison he would steal more, the documents said.
Irvin, who remained jailed Tuesday on a $25,000 bond, was arrested last week after questioning at a downtown Dallas aquarium about the animals there. He was charged with six counts of animal cruelty and two counts of theft. An attorney listed for Irvin in court filings did not respond to a request for comment.
Irvin told police that on the night of January 29, he waited until dark, jumped over the fence to enter the zoo grounds, cut the metal mesh of the fence and captured two tamarins, according to police. arrest warrant affidavit. He then boarded the city’s light rail before walking to the vacant house, where he said he kept his animals.
According to public reports, police found two monkeys named Bella and Finn on January 31, the day after they were found missing, at an empty house in Lancaster, a Dallas suburb about a distance from the zoo. 24 km to the south. . Many cats and pigeons were also in the home, in addition to dead fish and fish food that disappeared from the zoo’s staff area earlier in January but was not reported stolen. at the time, the affidavit said.
Police said Irvin was charged in two of the bizarre events over a period of several weeks at the zoo and was involved in another. When he caught the monkeys, Irvin faced one count of theft and six counts of animal cruelty – three counts for each monkey. He also faces theft charges in connection with the escape of a leopard named Nova, who was found missing on January 13. A cut was found in its enclosure and the zoo. closed when a search was conducted. She was found later that day near her habitat.
Irvin told investigators he wanted to marry Nova but he could only pet her before she climbed into his cage, according to an affidavit.
Police said they linked Irvin to the cutting of the monkey’s cage, which was discovered after Nova went missing, but he has not been charged with that. None of the langurs escaped.
This photo provided by the Dallas Zoo shows an emperor monkey living at the zoo. Two of the monkeys were taken from the zoo on January 30, the latest in a string of strange incidents at the tourist attraction under investigation.
Dallas Zoo via AP
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This photo provided by the Dallas Zoo shows an emperor monkey living at the zoo. Two of the monkeys were taken from the zoo on January 30, the latest in a string of strange incidents at the tourist attraction under investigation.
Dallas Zoo via AP
In the days before the emperor monkeys were captured, a man raised suspicions at the zoo, questioning not only the movement and care of such monkeys, but also the clouded leopard. escaped, an affidavit. He was also seen entering staff buildings near the monkey cage.
After the monkeys were found missing on January 30, police released a photo and video from the zoo of a man they said they wanted to talk to about missing monkeys. The man in the photos – who police later identified as Irvin – tipped police to the vacant house where the monkeys were found on January 31. An affidavit know a caller who said several people attending a church recognized the man. The man in the image is a frequent visitor to an empty house owned by the church.
Police arrested Irvin on Thursday a few blocks from Dallas World Aquarium after he went there to ask questions about animals at the aquarium and an employee recognized him in the news.
Police said they were still investigating, but Irvin was not involved in the suspicious death of an endangered vulture at the zoo in January.
Meanwhile, police in Louisiana announced the arrest Tuesday of a 61-year-old man in the case of 12 squirrel monkeys who were found missing on January 29 from their enclosure at Zoosiana in Broussard, about a block from Baton Rouge. about 96 km to the west. Police said the missing monkeys have yet to be found.
