Overview
- Baltimore County police arrested Jayden Evans and Vernon Crowfey III after executing a search warrant on July 16 that followed an undercover officer arranging a paid photoshoot with a lemur and a baby spider monkey.
- Investigators say the men offered paid photoshoots on social media and staged multiple sessions, including a June 30 shoot at Towson Town Center where staff lit a small “ring of fire,” causing about $1,900 in damage.
- Charging documents allege the primates were kept in poor conditions, several reptiles were in critical condition, and some animals were transported to the Maryland Zoo for veterinary care.
- USDA APHIS confirmed neither man held the required Class C exhibitor or dealer license under the federal Animal Welfare Act, and Maryland law bans private possession or sale of nonhuman primates.
- Evans is being held without bond on felony and misdemeanor counts including malicious burning, illegal possession or sale of prohibited primates, and animal cruelty while Crowfey faces related charges as the investigation and potential civil or administrative actions continue.