An arrest has been made in the monkey death case at the Boise Zoo in Idaho. Michael J. Watkins, 22, was arrested in connection with the death of a monkey and faces felony charges for burglary and grand theft.
Watkins is being held in Washington County, Idaho after a citizen's top led to his arrest. A hat in the enclosure of the monkey that was killed was the same hat that Watkins was wearing during the night of the zoo break-in, according to the Associated Press.
Shortly after the incident, Watkins also went to the hospital for injuries to his upper torso. When he tried to explain how he got them, his story sounded suspicious.
On Saturday morning, a patas monkey was found dead due to blunt force trauma to the head and neck. Police were called to the zoo after a guard reported a burglary in progress. One man who outside or the zoo and one was inside, but they both ran before police found them.The loss has left zoo staff shocked and saddened. Crime Stoppers offered a $1,000 award to anyone who could provide information that would lead to an arrest in the case.
"I speak for many of us in the police department and the community who were angered and outraged over this senseless crime," Boise Police Chief Michael Masterson told CNN. "As usual, it was a combination of a citizen tip and good police work that led us to the arrest in this case."Investigators have not questioned Watkins extensively as of yet, but they believe he is the man who was inside the zoo. Police are not sure if the break-in was a prank that led to an accidental death or if it was done purposely.
There are no surveillance videos at the zoo. Security guards patrol the area when the zoo is closed.
Watkins was visiting a friend at Boise over the weekend. He has been in trouble with the law before and has been arrested on drug-related charges. It is not clear if he was on drugs or under the influence of alcohol when the break-in occurred.
There is still another patas monkey at the zoo and staff have given it extra attention since the other one died.
"For the short time, he is OK being by himself, but that's not a long-term solution. Monkeys need to be housed in social groups, and so ... we are actively trying to find another patas monkey that we might be able to bring the zoo," Steve Burns, the zoo's director told CNN.Since the death occurred, donations for the other monkey poured in to the zoo's adopt-an-animal program.
The monkey exhibit is still open to the public.
"We're going to grieve for the animal and make sure the community's OK. But we're going to move on with the plans that we have and continue to take care of the animals. Boise's a really nice place to live, and usually this kind of stuff doesn't happen in Boise," Burns said.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
