Police: Man broke into zoo, said ‘he had gotten drunk and wanted to see the monkeys’
Joseph Villa, 52, allegedly tried to use a row boat to reach lemurs on an island.
When Attleboro police asked a man who they had just arrested why he had broken into the Capron Park Zoo Monday night, he reportedly told them “he had gotten drunk and wanted to see the monkeys.”Joseph Villa, 52, who lives in Attleboro, is being charged with trespassing, vandalizing property, and breaking and entering into a building during the nighttime, according to Det. Lt. Timothy Cook. He was scheduled for arraignment via video conferencing in Attleboro District Court on Wednesday.“No animals were affected or harmed during this bizarre incident,” Cook said.Police were called to the zoo, which is currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, around 8:43 a.m. on Tuesday for a reported break-in that was believed to have happened the night before, according to Cook. Part of the zoo’s fence was broken, and officers believe Villa damaged the fence around 7:30 p.m. Monday. On surveillance footage, police saw a man, who was later identified as Villa, walking around the zoo.Then, Villa allegedly climbed into a row boat and paddled out to a “large pond” where there are two lemur islands, Cook said. Lemurs are a type of primate found on Madagascar.Villa’s visit with the lemurs wasn’t meant to be, however.“He wasn’t able to reach the island because he lodged the boat underneath a footbridge,” Cook said. “He then had to exit the boat and swim through the lemur pond back to shore at which point he exited the zoo through the same hole in the fence.”Along with the surveillance footage, police had another piece of evidence that led them to Villa — his wallet with his identification was found in the zoo.Police caught up with Villa around 11 a.m. Tuesday — he was walking on County Street, where police arrested him, according to Cook.“It was a unique incident,” he said.
Man Charged With Breaking Into Attleboro Zoo In Attempt To See Lemurs https://t.co/PsuPs7KBEG pic.twitter.com/AMSJljxblC
— WBZ | CBS News Boston (@wbz) June 3, 2020
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