A former Festus-area chimpanzee caretaker, who gained notoriety after being featured in the HBO documentary “Chimp Crazy,” was arrested this past weekend days after a St. Louis County judge ordered the arrest of her and her husband.
U.S. Marshals arrested Tonia Haddix, 55, on July 19 and booked at the Camden County Jail in Camdenton. As of today, July 21, she was being held at the jail as she waits to be transported to the St. Louis County Jail, according to a Camden County Jail official.
St. Louis County Judge Brian May issued an order on July 14 for Haddix and her husband, Gerald Aswegan, to be arrested. The judge issued the order after holding the two in contempt for allegedly failing for a year and a half to turn over the financial documents, according to court documents.
Aswegan had not been arrested as of today, July 21.
According to court documents, Haddix and Aswegan are to be held on $2,500 bond after they are arrested.
In March 2023, Haddix was ordered to pay $224,404.24 in attorney fees to PETA as part of a yearslong legal battle over the care of seven chimps who lived at the now-defunct Missouri Primate Foundation south of Festus, court records show.
On March 31, Haddix admitted in federal court to lying about the death of one of the chimps, Tonka, and hiding the chimp, who appeared in the 1997 movie “Buddy.”
“PETA spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to find Tonka, get him out of the cage in Tonia Haddix’s basement, and move him to the spacious sanctuary where he’s now thriving, and Haddix can’t keep dodging the court’s orders to pay back the money she owes,” said Brittany Peet, a lawyer for PETA. “PETA trusts this jail time will be just a taste of the longer sentence she’ll face next month.”
Haddix’s criminal lawyer, Justin Gelfand, did not respond to a phone call or email.
Haddix was the last owner of seven chimps – Tonka, Crystal, Mikayla, Tammy, Connor, Candy and Kerry – who lived at the Festus-area facility formerly known as Chimparty, which provided chimps for parties, television ads and movies. The chimps previously belonged to Connie Casey, who transferred ownership of the animals to Haddix in an attempt to end a lawsuit the PETA filed against her in 2016.
The legal battle between Haddix and PETA seemed to conclude July 2021 when a federal judge ordered Haddix to give up ownership of the seven chimps and allow PETA to transfer them to the Center of Great Apes in Wauchula, Fla. The order came after the judge ruled Haddix had not followed a consent decree she had reached with PETA, which would have allowed her to retain ownership and care for Crystal, Mikayla and Tonka.
Crystal, Mikayla, Tammy, Connor, Candy and Kerry were transferred from the Festus-area facility to the Florida sanctuary on July 28, 2021. Tonka also was supposed to be transferred that day, but Haddix said Tonka died May 24, 2021, after suffering a stroke or heart attack.
Haddix had testified that Aswegan cremated Tonka’s body.
However, Tonka was discovered to be alive and living with Haddix in June 2022 at her home in Sunrise Beach, near Lake of the Ozarks. The chimp was then transported to the Save the Chimps Sanctuary in Florida.
PETA asked a St. Louis County judge last year to force her to pay by seizing property and assets from her companies. Haddix never responded, so a judge ruled in PETA’s favor, court records show.
Haddix and Aswegan, who is also involved with her companies, still allegedly didn’t turn over required financial documents in the case despite repeated orders from the court, according to court documents.
May ordered Haddix and Aswegan to appear at a hearing on July 14 to provide a reason for why they didn’t provide the documentation. After neither of them appeared, he issued the order for their arrest, court records said.
May ruled Haddix and Aswegan are in contempt of court and must pay $100 and be jailed each day until they comply with the court’s orders. The judge also approved an Order of Body Attachment, instructing law enforcement to detain the couple, according to court documents.
They are also liable for all of PETA’s attorney fees and costs in pursuing the case, court records said.
“Jerry Aswegan stood by as Tonia Haddix brazenly lied to officials that Tonka the chimpanzee was dead, all so she could keep him prisoner in her basement,” Peet said. “Aswegan and Haddix are now heading to jail, and PETA will not back down until they have paid every penny they owe, and their days of exploiting animals are over.”
Haddix and Aswegan are scheduled to appear for a show cause hearing on Aug. 5, court documents show.
Haddix is scheduled to be sentenced in her criminal case on Aug. 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. She has pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice, according to court records.
Click to read past Leader coverage on the events that led to "Chimp Crazy."