EUGENE, Ore., April 25 (UPI) — Police in Oregon said they arrested a pet store owner accused of using store funds to pay a prostitute and tipping the woman with a bushbaby.
The Eugene Police Department said the Galago, more commonly known as a bushbaby, was reported stolen from the Zany Zoo Pet Store in Eugene during reported burglaries March 1 and 6, but the prostitute found in possession of the primate at a hotel March 17 said the animal was given to her by the store’s owner.
Police said they are investigating whether the burglaries actually took place. They said a laptop computer and Girl Scout cookie money remain missing from the reported thefts.
McClain was arrested March 19 on a DUI-controlled substance charge after Oregon State Police noticed him leaving an adult store next door to the department’s Albany office. The state police said McClain appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamine.
McClain told detectives during a March 21 interview that he used deposit and donation money from the store to pay the prostitute.
The suspect was arrested Thursday on a charge of soliciting a prostitute.
The bushbaby, named Gooey, was taken to a nearby sanctuary while the Zany Zoo Pet Store applies for a new exotic animal license.
The store published a statement on its Facebook page saying McClain’s wife, Abbie McClain, is working to have his name removed from the store and he will no longer have any association with the business.
“Abbie has been cooperating with the investigation. She personally thought that someone broke in to the store and stole her beloved animal and money and had no reason to suspect otherwise until contacted by the police,” the post said.
