MIDDLE RIVER, Md. — A Middle River man faces animal cruelty charges for illegally possessing and mistreating infant monkeys.
Baltimore County Police began investigating Jayden Quanez Evans, 25, in June after noticing him and others posing with a spider monkey and a lemur on Facebook.
Investigators found that Evans owned an online-based company called Tarzan Exoticz, which sold personalized photo shoots with the animals.
It turns out Evans and a Baltimore-based photographer named Vernon Edward Crowfey III traveled to North Carolina, where they claimed to have rented the primates from a dealer out of Florida, under the false premise they were getting a license for "scientific, educational, or commercial purposes."
According to charging documents, Evans acted as the handler for the animals while Crowfey took the photos.
After speaking with Maryland Natural Resources and the USDA, detectives learned whatever licenses Evans and Crowfey may have possessed were indeed phony.
On June 30, police got wind of a photo shoot going on inside the parking garage at Towson Town Center. During the shoot, Evans and Crowfey allegedly lit a ring of fire, which caused burn damage to the mall's property.
Mall security told police the photo shoot was not authorized and that neither Evans nor Crowfey had permission to be there.
With that, an undercover detective later got in contact with Evans on social media to arrange a photo shoot with the lemur and spider monkey.
Despite acknowledging that possession of the animals was illegal in Maryland, Evans later agreed to the shoot for $500.
While leaving his home in Middle River on the day of the shoot, police were there to arrest Evans.
Inside a grocery bag was the lemur, while the spider monkey was found in a mesh carrier. Both appeared to be extremely malnourished, according to charging documents.
Several reptiles, including a bearded dragon was recovered from Evans' home in bad health.
While Evans was being arrested, Crowfey showed up and was placed in custody as well for his alleged role in the Towson mall photo shoot.
Evans has since been released on his own recognizance. He's next due in court on August 14. Crowfey, meanwhile, is out on a 5,000 unsecured personal bond.
“The way animals are treated reflects our values as a community, and Baltimore County will not tolerate cruelty or neglect," said Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier. "I want to thank the Baltimore County Police Department, Animal Services, and our federal partners for their outstanding work in this investigation. I also want to thank the Maryland Zoo for providing expert care to the most fragile animals in this case and giving them the specialized attention they need as they recover. Baltimore County will continue to support strong enforcement of laws that protect animals from abuse, prevent the illegal possession and trafficking of wildlife, and hold accountable those who exploit defenseless animals for profit.”
