The Dallas Zoo. Photo by Danny Fulgencio
The man who was arrested in connection with a string of suspicious events that plagued the Dallas Zoo earlier this year was indicted on two felony burglary charges Tuesday morning by a Dallas County grand jury.
The indictments state that 24-year-old Davion Irvin, broke into the Dallas Zoo with the intention to steal on Jan. 13, and broke into the zoo and did steal on Jan. 29.
Irvin is currently being held in the Dallas County Jail on a $130,000 bond.
He also faces six misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty.
Court records show that if Irvin makes bail he will be required to wear an ankle monitor to ensure he does not approach “any building and/or company engaged in the display or sale of animals” including the zoo, aquarium and pet stores.
While Irvin faces charges in the clouded leopard, langur monkey and emperor tamarin cases, charges had not been pressed regarding the lappet-faced vulture that was found dead on Jan. 21.
Irvin has not been named as a suspect in the case.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service stated that a resident agent in charge of Dallas is assisting police and the zoo in the investigation, and that, if necessary, the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory can be used for forensic analysis of evidence.
If the federal government chooses to, it is able to prosecute incidents related to endangered animals, such as the lappet-faced vulture.
