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Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Twelve To Plead Guilty in Zoo Break-In
By Juan Carlos Rodriguez
Journal Staff Writer
Twelve people who broke into the Rio Grande Zoo and posted pictures of themselves on Facebook may find themselves on a return visit — doing community service.
Albuquerque police on Tuesday filed criminal complaints against the 12 individuals, who all signed agreements in which they would plead guilty to criminal trespass, and the city would recommend community service.
The accused are: Evan Barela, 21; Andrea Blackerby, 20; Jeffrey Brock, 21; Ryan Brown, 21; Daniel "DJ" Buenviaje, 21; Kline Casburn, 21; Celina Espinosa, 21; Bailey Huffmon, 18; William Montgomery, 21; Chance Paroz, 21; Christopher Saiz, 20; and Eden Silverthorne, 18.
"They will still have to go to court. Ultimately, a judge will either accept or deny the pleas," Albuquerque public safety spokesman T.J. Wilham said.
"We're going to recommend that the community service be done at the Rio Grande Zoo."
The complaints say the suspects met up on the evening of June 1, plotted their entry to the zoo and discussed getting into the giraffe exhibit and taking pictures of themselves with the animals.
They entered the zoo by climbing over and under a 10-foot perimeter fence on the north side of the zoo, the complaints said.
Once they got in, they went to the giraffe enclosure and entered through some viewing huts. They sat on a rock pile in the enclosure and eventually, a giraffe wandered over to investigate.
Then they started snapping pictures, the complaints said.
Afterward, Barela and Casburn allegedly went to the sea lion enclosure and entered it, taking more pictures of themselves near the animals. The others "explored" the rest of the Africa exhibit, the complaint said.
Those in the Africa area at one point had to hide from security officers patrolling the grounds in a golf cart. They all left shortly afterward.
On June 16, an anonymous tipster sent the photos Barela posted on his Facebook page to police and the media.
Wilham said eight people — Casburn, Montgomery, Espinosa, Paroz, Silverthorne, Brock, Blackerby and Buenviaje — apologized to the mayor.
The 12 are set to be arraigned Aug. 10.
"We feel they've learned a lesson that breaking into the Rio Grande Zoo is not acceptable no matter what their intentions were," Wilham said. "They could have been hurt, the animals could have been hurt and certainly our zoo could have been hurt by their actions."
Wilham said the city has increased zoo security since the incident.
"Anyone who thinks about (breaking in) takes a very good chance of getting caught. And we will prosecute, as we did with these twelve individuals," he said.
Wilham said some of the group told detectives they had done it before.
Lisa Torraco, an attorney who is representing nine of the suspects, said they never meant any harm.
"They are total animal lovers," Torraco said.
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