San Rafael police arrested a man who they say stole a truck – and now wanted to steal Maki from Saki Francisco Zoo Lemur, officials said they found photos of the endangered animal on his cell phone.
Corey McGillow, 30, became a suspect in the disappearance of Maki on Friday, a day after San Rafael police detained him in connection with the theft of a Marine Sanitary Service truck.
San Francisco police said they have obtained an arrest warrant for McGillo. It is the last turn in the case of the missing lemur that has changed the nation.
On Thursday evening, Maki was safely taken out of the Ducky City playground and taken back to the zoo.
Once released from Marine County Jail, McGillow will be transferred to a San Francisco County jail and will face charges of burglary, burglary, robbery and vandalism, San Francisco Police Lt. Scott Rhea said Friday.
San Raphael police received a report of a stolen truck near Anderson Drive around 10 a.m. Thursday night, spokesman Lt. Dan Fink said Friday. Officers tailed the truck for several minutes before pulling over it and confronting McGillow, police said.
Arresting officers requested to see McGillow’s phone and he agreed, Fink said, calling a suspect’s request to see the phone “a standard investigation process.”
At the same time when officers found pictures of Maki in the photo. A case was filed in the Marine County Jail for the theft of a truck on Mg Kigilov, and authorities reported the photos of Maki to the Saki Francisco Police Department. Investigators from the San Francisco Police Department’s burglary unit interviewed McGillow at Jekyll, where he stayed Friday night.
In another bizarre turn of fate, one of the San Rafael officers who arrested M. G. Killoway took his child to the zoo.
“There’s no such thing as coincidence in police work,” Fink said.
The 21-year-old Lamar was found hiding near a pre-school in Daly City on Thursday, just hours before McGillow was taken into custody and two days after he disappeared from the zoo’s Lippman Family Lamar Forest residence.
Demi City police officers responded to reports of seeing a Lamar on the grounds of Hope Lutheran Day School at 5 p.m. Thursday. Police said Maki hid in a building on the school playground until handlers scooped him up and returned to the zoo about five miles away.
Mackie was “agitated and dehydrated,” but was cured Thursday after his brief stance on Leh, said Tanya Peterson, the zoo’s executive director and president.
The ring-tailed lemur was monitored in isolation for a shorter recovery period, before his companions rejoined the tree-lined baba.
“It’s the perfect ending,” Peterson said.
Five-year-old James Trinh saw an animal that looked like a lamer in the school parking lot and drew his attention to his mother, who was picking him up from school. James is familiar with lemurs from visiting the zoo, his father, Sam Trinh, said Friday.
James’ mother and school quickly called the Daily City Police, who alerted zoo officials and zoo officials.
Maki wandered from the parking lot to the school playground, where he took refuge in a miniature playhouse.
Zoo officials arrived immediately. Caring children, parents and teachers were seen, of course, tying together a lemur crammed into a vehicle transaction cage, without the use of tranquilizers.
James and the other preschoolers got an unexpected lesson as they looked to the rescue, school director Cynthia Huang said Friday afternoon.
“The best part is that they got a private performance, up close.” Huang said.
Zoo officials announced Friday that they will donate the school’s i’s 2,100 prize in gratitude for Maki’s safe return. Calculate the prize for each year of Lamar’s life. Is done as 100.
For Huang, Maki’s appearance at school was hardly a pleasure in an otherwise stressful time. Christian Pre-School has returned to individual lessons after virtual education in recent months.
“We went back to school, but for them everything is so different,” he said. “I’m glad they have a pleasure.”
James was “unaware” of Maki’s safe return role for his new salute return, his father said.
“It was just a normal day for them,” he said.
Nora Mischenk is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: NMishanec
