CNN
—
A man facing indictment over a series of suspicious activities at the Dallas Zoo admitted to stealing two tamarin monkeys last month and attempting to steal a clouded leopard, according to an affidavit in his arrest warrant.
According to an affidavit, Davion Irvine also told police that when he got out of prison he would return to the zoo and take more animals with him.
After Dallas police arrested him last week, Irvine, 24, is now facing six counts of animal cruelty and two counts of burglary of a building. He is being held in the Dallas County Jail. CNN is unable to determine if Irvin has a lawyer at this time.
His arrest warrant documents reveal new details about a bizarre incident that has captured national attention in recent weeks and caused concern among zoo staff.
The monkey was eventually found in an empty house in the Dallas area, but following a series of suspicious incidents at the zoo, including the deaths of a leopard, a langur monkey and a vulture, the monkey disappeared and surveillance cameras, patrols and night shift staff were turned on. .
According to the affidavit, Irvin broke into the Dallas Zoo early in the morning on January 13, when it was closed to the public, and intentionally cut off the fenced enclosure for the snow leopard. According to the documents, Irvin then allegedly entered the habitat to catch the leopard worth $3,500 to him $20,000.
Irvin let investigators pet the leopard, but the 25-pound leopard jumped to the top of the closure and was unable to catch the leopard. The hours-long pursuit began later that morning when they realized the animal had disappeared.
After a frantic search and police involvement, the leopard was found on the zoo’s grounds on the afternoon of January 13.
According to the affidavit, about two weeks later, an unidentified suspect cut through the outer fence of the tamarin monkey exhibit, entered the exhibit through an unlocked door, then cut through the cage and took the two monkeys. This crime, which took place on January 30th, was not caught on camera.
In the days leading up to the monkey’s theft, a person matching Irvin’s description asked zoo staff specific and “vague” questions about how to care for tamarin monkeys and other animals, the affidavit said. said.
Investigators said the suspect was also seen entering a closed area around the monkey exhibit that day and was caught on trail cameras eating a bag of potato chips near the exhibit.
According to the affidavit, another animal habitat near the leopard and monkey habitat was also cleared. Unreported thefts from early January also caught the attention of detectives, including the theft of bait fish, water chemicals, and training supplies from staff-only areas of the sea otter exhibit.
Police released surveillance footage and a photo of the suspect on January 31, before Irvin was identified and named as a suspect in the incident.
On the same day, police received information from a man whose father was the pastor of a church that owned a vacant house in Lancaster. According to sources, Irvine visited the home frequently and the pastor agreed for police to search the premises.
When the police raided the house, they found two tamarin monkeys in the house, but no people. Multiple cats and pigeons were also in the home, according to the affidavit, and some items were missing from the sea otter exhibit.
Detectives said the interior of the home was in “extremely poor condition” with dead animals, suspected cat feces and mold.
Lancaster is about 15 miles south of Dallas.
According to the affidavit, Irvin was not inside the house, but police found Nike shoes that match the shoes Irvin was wearing in images captured by the zoo’s cameras.
According to the affidavit, on February 2, Irvin was spotted at the Dallas World Aquarium and asked an employee about the monkeys at the location. Aquarium employees recognized Irvin from the published photos and contacted authorities. Police chased Irvin onto a commuter train and arrested him.
