Dallas police have arrested a man in connection with the case of two missing emperor tamarin monkeys from the Dallas Zoo.
Davion Irvin, 24, was arrested on Thursday, according to the Dallas Police Department (DPD).
In a statement to The Dallas Express, a DPD spokesperson said:
“The preliminary investigation and help from the public identified Irvin as the man Dallas Police were looking to speak with regarding the missing monkeys at the Dallas Zoo. On Thursday, Dallas Police received a tip Irvin was seen at the Dallas Aquarium near animal exhibits.”
Police said that officers were dispatched to the aquarium, where they saw Irvin board a DART train. Officers later saw Irvin on the 1400 block of Pacific Avenue. He was arrested and taken to DPD headquarters for questioning.
Irvin was charged with six counts of cruelty to non-livestock and livestock animals and was taken to the Dallas County Jail, where he is being held on a $25,000 bond.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the two emperor tamarin monkeys were discovered missing from the Dallas Zoo on January 30.
“It was clear the habitat had been intentionally compromised,” the zoo said. “Based on the Dallas Police Department’s initial assessment, they have reason to believe the tamarins were taken.”
The police department then tweeted a photo of the suspect and asked for the public’s help to identify him.
On Tuesday, the Dallas Zoo announced that the two missing monkeys were found and rescued by Dallas Police.
“We are thrilled beyond belief to share that our two emperor tamarin monkeys have been found,” Kari Streiber, the vice president of marketing and communications for the Dallas Zoo, told The Dallas Express.
Kristin Lowman, a public information officer for the Dallas Police Department, told The Dallas Express that the monkeys were found around 4:50 p.m. by Dallas police with the help of Lancaster police.
“Dallas Police received a tip the monkeys may be at an abandoned home in Lancaster,” she said, adding that police went to the empty home, found the monkeys in a closet, and returned them to the zoo.