INDIANAPOLIS — The owner or a monkey who got loose in Indianapolis last fall has reached an agreement with the city.
13 Investigates learned the owner admitted to one charge, and a second charge was dismissed.
The charge that owner Hoang Pham agreed to is "animal at large chase" and "attack a person with injury." The charge holding him responsible for an animal attack was dismissed.
He also agreed to pay a civil penalty of $500, with another $139 in court costs.
Pham told 13News he still does not know where Momo is, although he said he does not plan to sue for the monkey's return.
NOTE: The above video is from a previous report on Momo the monkey.
The escape
On Oct. 4, the family tells 13 Investigates they took Momo to the backyard to give him a trim, reporting Momo was playing around and then jumped their six-foot fence for the first time.
It would take 12 hours before the monkey was returned home. The family reported the pet missing, and both Indianapolis Animal Care Services and police joined in the search.
There were sightings of the monkey and even videos of Momo in the neighborhood and on cars. There were even initial reports of minor injuries caused by the monkey.
On the morning of Oct. 5, Momo was reported captured after breaking into a vacant home. Nguyen said he was the one who captured the primate. IMPD released a photo of the brother holding Momo next to a smiling police officer.
Shortly after that photo was taken, Nguyen said he asked an IACS worker for help getting Momo back to his car. Nguyen said he handed his car keys to the city worker to bring the vehicle around.
"He pulled off then pulled back around," Nguyen said. "He said, 'Hey, man, I can't take your property.' I said, 'OK, that's fine.' So he said, 'You could just put him in my cage in the truck.' I say, 'OK, that's fine' because I'm thinking he's gonna drive me back to the house or my car. You know what I mean?"
Instead, the family says the worker impounded Momo. Later, the monkey was taken to the Indianapolis Zoo.
The next day, IACS sent Pham a letter, stating the monkey was deemed a "dangerous animal" that "would pose a threat to public safety if returned."
The city cited the latest escape, injuries and past escapes for why it decided not to return the monkey.
The brothers tell 13 Investigates Momo has escaped twice before this latest incident. Once in July, which IMPD reported. They also said Momo got loose in Noblesville while they were moving. In both instances, they said he was captured in a few hours or less.
During the latest escape, the city says the monkey chased or approached someone "in a menacing fashion ... which resulted in an injury."
13 Investigates asked, but the city will not say exactly how many people were injured or the extent of those injuries.
An IMPD report lists two victims, a man and a woman, but no details of their involvement with the monkey are included in the report.
The Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County tells 13 Investigates two people reached out to report minor injuries from the primate. In an email, a spokesman wrote, "but we cannot disclose additional details about the injuries due to privacy concerns."
13 Investigates also got in contact with a woman who initially reported Momo bit a neighbor. In an email, Alana Sheets said she spoke to her neighbors again and learned the monkey only "touched/grabbed (or) scratched" a neighbor's leg.
"I honestly don't think he was aggressive, just confused," Sheets wrote.
The family said they do not believe Momo is dangerous, telling 13 Investigates he has not bit anyone in the past and, to their knowledge, did not bite anyone during the latest escape.
The family's attorneys argue any allegations of people being harmed should have been presented during a public hearing, which never happened.
They argue the city violated code, which would have required a hearing if Animal Care properly seized Momo.
Pham received three citations connected to the monkey's escape. He tells 13News he's OK accepting responsibility for Momo getting loose and is willing to take precautions so it doesn't happen again.
"There's a fine that needs to be paid, fees or whatever I need to do, I will do it," Pham said. "But at the end of the day, he's a family member."
The family and their attorneys hope sending the letter and later a notice of a potential tort claim will result in the monkey being returned home. However, if that does not happen, they are preparing to file a federal lawsuit, if necessary.