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Van Nuys man's monkey business lands him in court again

David Grigorian was ordered to give up his marmoset months ago after
pleading guilty to illegal animal possession, but he has had a hard
time letting go.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-monkey17-2008oct17,0,390860.story

By Jia-Rui Chong, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 17, 2008
Nothing, it seems, gets between David Grigorian and his marmoset monkey.

On Wednesday, the 43-year-old Van Nuys resident found himself in court
once again for harboring an undocumented primate.

Grigorian has told authorities that he considers Cheeta to be a member
of his family, but state Department of Fish and Game officials say the
animal has got to go.

In January, police arrested Grigorian for allegedly shouting criminal
threats in front of a house in Van Nuys. As police took Grigorian into
custody, they discovered the 7-year-old black-and-white male marmoset,
who shares the same name as Tarzan's chimp sidekick.

Further investigation revealed another problem -- Grigorian lacked a
monkey permit.

In California, people must obtain a special permit to possess marmoset
monkeys, because they are nonnative species, according to Troy
Swauger, a spokesman for the Department of Fish and Game. Only those
who use the animals for educational or professional purposes, such as
filming, can get permits.

After his arrest, Grigorian pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal
animal possession and promised to give up Cheeta, according to Lisa
Van Eyk, assistant supervising attorney at the Los Angeles city
attorney's office in Van Nuys.

In a somewhat complicated plan, Grigorian agreed to surrender Cheeta
to Fish and Game officers, who would transfer the animal to a courier
who would then take him to Nevada. Grigorian told officials he would
pick up Cheeta in Nevada and take him to a caretaker in Arizona.

Months later, however, Cheeta was back in town. On May 23, Burbank
police stopped Grigorian for a traffic violation and spotted a monkey
in the car, Van Eyk said.

Fish and Game officials said they understand that pet owners such as
Grigorian love their animals, but the law is the law. Swauger said the
department might try to place Cheeta in a zoo or with a private owner
out of state so Grigorian could visit him. The last resort, officials
said, would be to kill the animal.

On Wednesday, Grigorian had a court date to prove the monkey was gone.

Grigorian told court Commissioner Thomas E. Grodin that the monkey was
in Mexico. As proof, he displayed a photograph of Cheeta beside a
recently dated Mexican newspaper. Red, white and green decorations
filled the background.

Grodin was skeptical, Van Eyk said. Grigorian hedged for a while, then
admitted the monkey was in downtown Los Angeles, Van Eyk said.

"They'd had it in the family for years, and it was a pet and he wasn't
going to give it up," she said. Grigorian pleaded with the judge,
saying that his kids had grown up with the monkey.

Grodin ordered bailiffs to put Grigorian in handcuffs until he agreed
to give up Cheeta. The man was in tears as he went into a courthouse
lock-up, Van Eyk said.

Grigorian returned to the courtroom later in the day and agreed to
hand over Cheeta to Fish and Game officials.

He was told to come back next week with actual proof.

jia-rui.chong AT latimes.com