Pasco County deputies got a little more than they bargained for Friday when they arrested a man for auto theft following a car accident and discovered the thief had a pet monkey in the car along for the ride.
- Cody Hession arrested Friday afternooon in Pasco
- Hession had Capuchin monkey with him
- Monkey released to FWC
According to investigators, Cody Hession allegedly crashed a vehicle he took from an acquaintance's home in St. Pete into a ditch in Holiday. When deputies went to arrest him, they found him and "Monk," Hession's pet Capuchin monkey.
"For the most part, the monkey seemed to be attached to the suspect," said Pasco Deputy Zachary Dendler.
Deputies and FWC officers arrived on the scene to take both Hession and Monk into custody -- Hession for auto theft and Monk because Hession didn't have a valid permit to own him.
"When the suspect was being detained, [Monk] tried to grab our hands," Dendler said. "He seemed very curious as to what was happening. He didn't seem scared."
FWC transported the monkey to the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary, where this evening the park manager told us he seems to be doing very well.
"I changed his diaper, he played with me, he's a happy little monkey," said Suncoast Primate Sanctuary's Debbie Cobb.
Cobb went on to explain that taking care of a monkey isn't easy.
"You have to have experience," she said. "You need to be regulated and you've got to do it properly."
FWC officials said Hession was denied a permit for Monk earlier this year. Hession told authorities he got the monkey in South Carolina several years ago, but FWC claims he wasn't able to produce documentation about the purchase.
Cobb told us she'll take care of Monk as long as necessary at the Sanctuary, but she's hopeful he and Hession can be reunited.