June 11 (UPI) — Police in Florida shared body camera footage of a suspected car thief saying goodbye to his alleged accomplice — a capuchin monkey.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said Cody Blake Hession, 23, allegedly stole a car he found unlocked in St. Petersburg with the keys hidden under a floor mat.
Deputies found Hession after he apparently crashed the car into a ditch and they were surprised to find he wasn’t alone — a monkey was clinging to his body.
“It was quite a surprise,” Deputy Zachary Dendler told Patch. “I certainly wasn’t expecting to see a monkey when I approached the car in the ditch.”
Hession told deputies he purchased the primate, named Monk, about four years ago, but investigators found he did not have a permit for the exotic pet.
Hession was arrested grand theft auto charges along with possession of an exotic animal without a permit.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission transported the monkey to the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor.
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