Jerry Holly, the owner of the escaped zebras, has been charged with three counts of animal cruelty in Prince George’s County District Court, according to court documents.

The “zebras at large pose a threat to the community [as] they continue to wander through communities, railroad, and public roads,” the charging documents state. “The zebras are also at risk, as evidenced by the death of one of the zebras while at large.”

WUSA9 was the first to report the existence of the charging documents.

As DCist/WAMU reported, Holly’s exotic animal breeding business has been cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more than 100 violations of the Animal Welfare Act on his properties in Micanopy, Fl. and in Upper Marlboro, Md., though many of the most severe violations occurred in Florida, public records, licenses, and reports show.

Holly has not responded to repeated attempts to contact him over the past two weeks, including Wednesday morning — multiple phone numbers with his name on the voicemail have full mailboxes. Holly has a Class A USDA breeding license through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that is currently active, according to a USDA spokesperson.

All animal cruelty charges are related to the escaped zebras, and each charge carries a maximum penalty of 90 days imprisonment and/or a $1,000 fine.

The new court documents, filed on October 19, also shed further light on the death of one of the at-large zebras more than a month ago, and their escape from his property in late August.

The deceased zebra “was caught in a snare within two feet of the fence line — directly beside the fenced enclosure where the other 36 zebras were being held,” the court documents state. The investigating officer with the Maryland Natural Resources Police said that “the animal should have been seen or heard while it was dying from being caught in the snare if the caretaker had attended to the zebras in the fenced enclosure, and most likely died of dehydration after a period of a few days struggling in the trap.” It was impossible to determine the cause of death because “the animal was completely decomposed,” per documents. It is illegal to set or even possess snare traps in Prince George’s County, and the matter is under investigation.

The documents also outline that an additional dead zebra was discovered in the enclosure on October 19 “who had been deceased long enough that it had entered the rigor-mortis state.”

The Prince George’s County Department of Environment is now investigating that zebra’s death, according to a statement released Wednesday. A news helicopter observed what appeared to be a dead zebra and tipped off the agency, according to the department. The agency, which has been inspecting the property every two or three days since it learned of the escape, says it immediately followed up on the tip and found the dead zebra.

The Prince George’s County Animal Services Division first learned about the escaped zebras on August 26, after receiving a call that three zebras were running around on Croom Road in Upper Marlboro, per the documents. Animal Services made contact with the animal caretaker, Charles Gwynn, who said he would check on the fence line and get a count of the zebra herd, the documents say, adding that the agency reached Holly, “who was aware the zebras were loose, but had no plan to recapture the zebras at that time.”

The charging documents outline that the death of the at-large zebra, the “inexplicable loss” of one of the original herd of 40 zebras (public officials have been saying Holly has 39 zebras), and the failure to provide for the escaped zebras are “sufficient circumstantial evidence of neglect to warrant a criminal charge” of animal cruelty.

The person bringing the complaint is Rodney Taylor, the chief of the Prince George’s County Animal Services Division. He was not immediately available for comment.

“The zebras at-large are a public nuisance,” the court documents state. “The media coverage surrounding the zebras has brought traffic and trespassers to surrounding homes. The animals are dangerous, and serve as a risk to persons approaching them, and a risk to drivers on the public roadways.”

The dozens of zebras who did not escape remain on the Upper Marlboro property, per the Prince George’s County Department of Environment, though the agency is exploring partnerships with animal sanctuaries.

This story has been updated with additional information from the Prince George’s County Department of Environment. 

Previously:
Behind The Zebra Escape Is An Exotic Animal Breeding Business With Dozens Of Animal Welfare Violations
One Of The Escaped Zebras In Prince George’s County Died
Could The Escaped Zebras Survive Roaming Around Prince George’s County Forever?