A Minneapolis woman is facing a slew of charges after begin arrested earlier today on I-394 with a monkey riding in her passenger’s seat.
Ali Florpos, 24, was arrested early Monday morning after a short chase on I-394 in St. Louis Park, but her story begins well before she was placed in handcuffs. This one is a doozy.
According to police, Florpos began her crime spree shortly after midnight when she broke into the Como Park Zoo and Observatory. Once inside, Florpos set her eyes on the monkey habitat. Florpos climbed over a railing and entered a gait with access to the spider monkey exhibit. She eventually wrangled a spider monkey and put it on a dog leash she brought from home and left the exhibit. She then left the zoo, but not before lighting fire to an empty butterfly exhibit.
Authorities responded to a small fire at the zoo but the disappearance of the spider monkey was not made at that time. It’s uncertain exactly what Florpos did for the next few hours, but it seems likely that she started drinking based on her BAC following her eventual arrest.
Finally Arrested
At 6:00 a.m., police responded to a call about a naked woman getting into a car with a small animal on a leash. Police eventually caught up to Florpos on the I-394 on ramp. Police turned on their signal lights but Florpos hit the gas, leading police on a chase for two miles before eventually pulling over on the side of the highway.
A police officer approached the vehicle and found Florpos in her birthday suit with the spider monkey sitting calmly in the passenger’s seat. The officer noted that Florpos had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and smelled of alcohol. She submitted to a breathalyzer test, which revealed she had a BAC of 0.24, three times the legal limit. She was placed under arrest and taken to Hennepin County Jail.
After linking Florpos to the zoo incident, she was eventually charged with:
- Second Degree Breaking and Entering
- Third Degree Burglary
- Second Degree Arson
- Gross Misdemeanor Animal Endangerment
- Gross Misdemeanor Obstruction of Justice
- Second Degree Driving While Intoxicated
- Misdemeanor Disturbing the Peace
Florpos posted a $10,000 bond and was released not too long ago. A court date has been set for June 2nd. It’s unclear if Florpos has a lawyer at this time. In an odd move, police did not let her put on clothes before taking she mugshot, which can be viewed here. You can also listen to a press conference police gave following her arrest at this Youtube link, which goes into event deeper detail about the craziness.
