The star of an HBO docuseries about the ownership of “exotic” animals has been arrested for failing to pay court ordered costs to end a lawsuit over her treatment of the animals last year.
A St. Louis County judge issued an order for law enforcement to detain Tonia Haddix and her husband, Jerry Aswegan, on Saturday, KTVI reported. Haddix was initially held by the Camden County Sheriff’s Office and then transferred into the custody of the US Marshal’s Service.
Aswegan is not yet in custody.
A federal court ordered the couple to pay People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) more than $220,000 in attorneys’ fees and court costs last year. PETA sued the couple of their treatment of “exotic” animals, particularly chimpanzees.
The HBO docuseries “Chimp Crazy” explored their actions and other issues related to the private ownership of such animals.
Haddix has owned seven chimpanzees, breeding them for use in films and photoshoots. She developed a particular attachment to one of the chimps, former animal movie star Tonka, who appeared in such films as “Buddy” and “George of the Jungle.”
After a judge ordered her to hand over all the chimpanzees to be relocated to better facilities in 2022, she claimed that Tonka had died and been cremated. Later, he was found locked in a cage in her basement, alive.
PETA, whose initial lawsuit prompted the relocation of the chimps, filed a new lawsuit over Tonka, claiming that Haddix had lied under oath and tried to bribe federal officials. That lawsuit was settled last year, Tonka was taken to an animal sanctuary in Florida — where he is said to be thriving — and Haddix and Aswegan agreed to pay court costs.
But PETA says they have made no payments on the agreement. The judge’s order for their detention, filed on July 17, says that they have skipped several court hearings on the matter.
A show cause hearing is scheduled for August 5.
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[Featured image: Tonia Haddix/Camden County Sheriff’s Office]
