CNN
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The person who faces prices stemming from a string of suspicious actions on the Dallas Zoo allegedly admitted to stealing two tamarin monkeys and attempting to steal the clouded snow leopard final month, in line with arrest warrant affidavits.
Davion Irvin additionally advised police that he needs to return to the zoo and take extra animals if he will get out of jail, the affidavits declare.
Irvin, 24, is at present charged with six counts of animal cruelty and two counts of housebreaking to a constructing after Dallas police arrested him final week. He’s being held on the Dallas County Jail on $25,000 bond, in line with inmate search data. CNN has been unable to find out if Irvin has retained an legal professional at the moment.
His arrest warrant paperwork reveal new particulars a few peculiar case that has gripped the nation’s consideration in latest weeks and triggered some concern amongst zoo staffers.
Though the monkeys have been finally discovered at an unoccupied house within the Dallas space, their disappearance adopted a sequence of suspicious incidents on the zoo involving a leopard, langur monkeys and a vulture’s loss of life, resulting in a hike in safety, together with extra cameras, patrols and in a single day employees.
On January 13 throughout the early morning hours, Irvin allegedly entered the Dallas Zoo when it was closed to the general public and deliberately minimize the fenced enclosure for the clouded snow leopard, in line with the affidavits. Irvin then allegedly entered the habitat to take the leopard, which is valued at $3,500 to $20,000, the paperwork say.
Irvin allegedly advised investigators he petted the leopard, however the 25-pound animal jumped up into the highest of its closure, and he wasn’t in a position to catch the animal. He left the exhibit with the minimize nonetheless in place, and the leopard escaped, setting off an hours-long pursuit later that morning when zoo officers realized the animal was gone.
After a frantic search and police involvement, the leopard was discovered on zoo property that afternoon on January 13.
Roughly two weeks later, an unknown suspect minimize the outside fencing to the tamarin monkey exhibit and entered the exhibit by an unlocked door earlier than chopping the cages and taking two monkeys, in line with the affidavits. This offense, dedicated on January 30, was not captured on digicam.
Within the days main as much as the theft of the monkeys, an individual matching Irvin’s description requested zoo personnel particular and “obscure” questions on how you can take care of the tamarin monkeys and different animals, the affidavits say.
The suspect was additionally seen getting into nonpublic areas across the monkey exhibit that day, in line with investigators, and he was captured on path cameras consuming a bag of chips close to the exhibit, in line with investigators.
One other animal habitat close to the leopard and monkey habitats was additionally discovered to be minimize, in line with the affidavits. Unreported thefts from early January have been additionally dropped at the eye of detectives – reminiscent of theft of feeder fish, water chemical compounds, and coaching provides from a staff-only space on the otter exhibit.
Earlier than Irvin was recognized and named as a suspect within the case, police had launched surveillance footage and a photograph of the suspect on January 31.
On that very same day, police obtained a tip from a person whose father is a pastor of a church that owns a vacant home in Lancaster. The tipster mentioned Irvin continuously visited the home, and the pastor supplied consent for police to go looking the premises.
Upon looking, police discovered the 2 tamarin monkeys inside the house however no folks. A number of cats and pigeons have been additionally within the house, in line with the affidavits, in addition to gadgets that went lacking from the otter exhibit.
Detectives mentioned the house’s inside was “in excessive poor situation” with useless animals, suspected cat feces, and mould and mildew.
Lancaster is about 15 miles south of Dallas.
Whereas Irvin was not inside the house, police discovered a pair of Nike footwear that matched the footwear Irvin was sporting within the photos captured by zoo cameras, in line with the affidavits.
On February 2, Irvin was noticed on the Dallas World Aquarium and requested staff in regards to the monkeys at their location, in line with the affidavits. Aquarium staff acknowledged Irvin from the picture launched to the general public, and authorities have been contacted. Police adopted Irvin onto a commuter practice and arrested him.