DALLAS — The man accused in a string of crimes at the Dallas Zoo, from cut enclosures to stolen animals, has been indicted on a pair of felony charges.
A Dallas County grand jury handed up indictments Tuesday morning against Davion Dwight Irvin, 24, on two counts of burglary.
The first major incident at the zoo, on Jan. 13, was the disappearance of the clouded leopard named Nova, who was found unharmed hours later. Police said her habitat had been intentionally cut. Zoo officials later discovered torn enclosures for langur monkeys, which were still in their habitat, and the unusual death of a lappet-faced vulture named Pin came about a week later.
Nine days after Pin’s death, two emperor tamarin monkeys, Bella and Finn, were taken off zoo grounds. They were later found alive in a vacant home in Lancaster and, after several weeks in quarantine, returned to their habitat.
Irvin was arrested Feb. 2 — after he was spotted at the Dallas World Aquarium — on charges of burglary and animal cruelty in the incidents involving the clouded leopard and stolen monkeys. A police spokeswoman said Irvin is also connected to the cut enclosure for the langur monkeys, but he has not been linked to Pin’s death.
Police wrote in an arrest-warrant affidavit that a man, later identified as Irvin, had been asking zoo employees “obscure” questions in the days before the monkeys were taken. In the affidavit, police allege Irvin told investigators he loves animals, and if released from jail he’d return to the zoo and steal again.
The felony indictments against Irvin say that he broke into the zoo with the intent of committing theft — Nova — and broke in again later and did commit theft — Bella and Finn. The six misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty he faces are all connected to the stolen monkeys, three for each animal, for confining the monkeys in an unsuitable location, failing to provide them food and water, and abandoning them.
Irvin remained in custody Tuesday at the Dallas County jail, with bail set at $130,000; the conditions of his bond say that if he is released he may not go to any zoo, aquarium or pet store. His attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
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