Judge Orders Arrest of Former Festus Chimp Caretaker After Court No-Show

Jefferson Co., Mo. (KFMO) - A St. Louis County judge has ordered the arrest of former chimpanzee caretaker Tonia Haddix and her husband Gerald Aswegan after the pair failed to appear in court and turn over financial documents in a legal battle with PETA.

Haddix, who once owned seven chimps at the now-closed Missouri Primate Foundation near Festus, was featured in the HBO documentary Chimp Crazy. In 2023, she was ordered to pay more than $224,000 in attorney fees to PETA. She also admitted in federal court to hiding one of the chimps, Tonka, who starred in the 1997 movie Buddy, and falsely claiming he was dead. After months of ignoring court orders, Judge Brian May ruled Haddix and Aswegan in contempt on July 14 and approved an order allowing law enforcement to arrest them.

They face $100 fines and jail time for each day they don’t comply. The couple is due back in court August 5. Haddix also faces sentencing in her criminal case on August 7.