Davion Irvin, a 24-year-old man in Dallas, has been arrested after being suspected of stealing monkeys from the zoo. Police said Irvin, who has been charged with six counts of animal cruelty, is the same guy who was seen on surveillance video while eating a bag of Doritos and strolling through the zoo where the monkeys were taken.
According to TMZ, police arrested Irvin at the Dallas World Aquarium after receiving a tip from somebody who recognized the suspect from the images that were circulated.
Bella and Finn, the two emperor tamarin monkeys that were stolen from the zoo on Monday, were found unharmed on Tuesday at an abandoned home owned by a church in Lancaster, Texas, the Daily Beast reports.
According to the zoo, the monkeys lost some weight after being stolen, but they showed “no signs of injury.”
The Family Center Church of God in Christ, where the monkeys were found, was closed to the public for renovations. Tonya Thomas, the pastor’s daughter, told the WFAA that Irvin was recognized by churchgoers when Dallas police released photo of him. According to Thomas, members said they remember seeing Irvin at services.
Thomas said somebody recently broke into the church. Officers who responded to the church after the break-in found chickens, birds, cats and other small animals in the building. The church’s pastor then told police that the monkey bandit may be using the building to hide the animals.
Irvin was booked into Dallas County Jail on Thursday. He’s being held on a $25,000 bail.
