Affidavits for arrest warrants say that the man who is being charged for a string of suspicious events at the Dallas Zoo admitted to stealing two tamarin monkeys and trying to steal a clouded snow leopard last month.
Affidavits say that Davion Irvin also told police that if he gets out of jail, he wants to go back to the zoo and steal more animals.
Irvin, who is 24 years old, was arrested by Dallas police last week. He is now being charged with six counts of animal cruelty and two counts of breaking into a building. According to inmate search records, he is being held at the Dallas County Jail on a $25,000 bond. CNN hasn’t been able to find out yet if Irvin has hired an attorney.
His arrest warrant papers give new information about a strange case that has been in the news for the past few weeks and has made some zoo workers worried.
Even though the monkeys were eventually found in an empty house in the Dallas area, their disappearance came after a series of strange things happened at the zoo, including the death of a vulture, a leopard, and langur monkeys. This caused the zoo to increase security by adding more cameras, patrols, and people who work overnight.
According to the affidavits, Irvin went to the Dallas Zoo when it was closed to the public on January 13 and cut the clouded snow leopard’s cage’s fence on purpose. This happened early in the morning. The documents say that Irvin then went into the habitat to take the leopard, which is worth between $3,500 and $20,000.
Irvin is said to have told investigators that he petted the leopard, but that the 25-pound animal jumped up into the top of its enclosure, making it impossible for him to catch it. He left the cage with the cut still in place, and the leopard got out. Later that morning, when zoo staff realized the animal was gone, they went looking for it for hours.
After a frantic search and help from the police, the leopard was found at the zoo on January 13 in the afternoon. According to the affidavits, about two weeks later, someone cut the fence around the tamarin monkey exhibit and entered through an unlocked door. They then cut the cages and stole two monkeys. This crime, which happened on January 30, was not caught on film.
According to the affidavits, another animal habitat was cut near the leopard and monkey habitats. Detectives were also told about thefts that happened in early January but weren’t reported. For example, feeder fish, water chemicals, and training supplies were taken from a staff-only area of the otter exhibit.
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A Tip Helped Police Find The Suspect
Before Irvin was named as a suspect in the case, on January 31, police released surveillance video and a photo of the suspect.
On the same day, a man told police that his father is a pastor at a church in Lancaster that owns a house that was empty. The person who gave the tip said Irvin went to the house often, and the pastor gave permission for police to search the property.
When the police searched the house, they found two tamarin monkeys but no people. According to the affidavits, there were also a lot of cats and pigeons in the house, as well as things that were taken from the otter exhibit.
Detectives said that the inside of the house was “in very bad shape,” with dead animals, what they thought was cat feces, mold, and mildew.
It is about 15 miles south of Dallas to get to Lancaster. According to the affidavits, police found a pair of Nike shoes that matched the shoes Irvin was wearing when zoo cameras took pictures of him. Irvin was not in the house at the time.
According to the affidavits, Irvin was seen at the Dallas World Aquarium on February 2 and asked staff about the monkeys there. Aquarium workers saw Irvin in the photo that was shown to the public, so they called the police. Irvin got on a commuter train, and the police followed him there and arrested him.
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