Latest news with #ChimpCrazy
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Weapon debate adds new twist in ‘Chimp Crazy' saga
Note: This video is from March 31, 2025. ST. LOUIS – Tonia Haddix, the Missouri woman at the center of the HBO series 'Chimp Crazy,' was back in federal court Friday morning after concerns were raised regarding her bond conditions. 55-year-old Haddix pled guilty on March 31 to three felony charges, which include two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. These charges stemmed from Haddix lying under oath about one of her chimpanzees, Tonka, dying so she could keep him. She was released on her own recognizance with a list of conditions she had to follow, and both the judge and prosecuting attorney Hal Goldsmith emphasized a particular one that stated she could not possess any firearm or weapon in her house. In court Friday, Judge Stephen Welby said he had been notified of a CO2 rifle used for tranquilizing located in her home during a pre-trial visit. The debate went back and forth between Welby, Goldsmith and defense attorney Justin Gelfand over whether the described rifle goes against the bond conditions. Haddix also joined in, noting to the judge that it was not a rifle but rather a 'pump gun.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Goldsmith argued that during the last hearing, the orders were reiterated, and Tonia said she had nothing in her home, to which Gelfand stated that the tranquilizer had the sole use of shooting darts. Welby ultimately sided with the defense, adding that as Haddix runs Sunrise Safari, the tranquilizer may be needed if there is concern with the animals being around little kids. The bond condition was updated to keep the tranquilizer in a barn away from the house and safari, and that only Tonia's husband as well as safari staff members have access to it. It's unclear what will happen to the safari, as Haddix is set to lose her animal welfare license on April 22. It was said during the last hearing that an appeal is in the works. Haddix is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Soulja Boy Denies Raping Woman, Calls Sex Assault Allegations ‘Disgusting'
Soulja Boy testified in his own defense Tuesday at a civil trial in California, telling jurors he 'never' assaulted the woman who claims he beat, raped, and held her against her will while she lived with him as a personal assistant starting in 2019. The rapper, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, vehemently denied the graphic and harrowing testimony that the woman gave March 19 when she first took the stand in the trial now underway in Santa Monica. The woman, who sued under a Jane Doe pseudonym, told jurors that Way allegedly first raped her in a bathroom during a police raid of his home in mid-February 2019. She claimed he went on to regularly beat, berate, and sexually assault her during a tortured, two-year relationship that sometimes involved consensual intimacy. More from Rolling Stone Judge Rules Video Inside Gene Hackman's Home Can Be Released, but Bodies Must Be 'Blurred' 'Chimp Crazy' Star Pleads Guilty to Charges Over Faking Pet Chimpanzee's Death Sean Combs Sexual Assault Lawsuit Dismissed After Jane Doe Chooses to Not Reveal Identity Way, 34, admitted Tuesday that there was a sexual encounter with the woman when police showed up at the door of his $25,000-a-month rental home to serve the search warrant. But he claimed she consented. 'I asked her if she wanted to have sex, and she was engaged in it,' he said. 'She didn't push me or say stop, nothing like that.' Defense lawyer Rickey Ivie later walked Way through the months that followed Way's release from jail on July 14, 2019. Way said that after he was locked up for three months on a weapons-related probation violation, he was happy to see Doe and invited her to live with him at a different house as his intimate partner. 'Did you ever hit the plaintiff in the mouth, bust her lip, and force her to give you oral sex?' Ivie asked on the 10th day of the trial. 'Of course not, and that's a disgusting allegation,' Way responded. 'It sounds crazy to me. I did not do that.' Way started his testimony briefly last week when he was called by the Jane Doe as a hostile witness. He gave mostly one-word answers during that examination by Dean Aynechi, a partner at West Coast Trial Lawyers. Asked last week if he hired the woman to be his personal assistant, Way said no, she was never his employee. Aynechi then confronted Way with a video that showed him shopping on Rodeo Drive in late January 2019 and calling out for his 'assistant.' 'You started yelling, 'Where's [Doe]? Where's my assistant?' And she ran up behind you with your bag, with your shopping,' Aynechi said. Asked if that accurately described the video, Way said, 'Yes.' On Tuesday, Ivie asked Way why he called the woman his assistant in public that day. Way claimed it was because he met her through a mutual friend that same month and had offered her free room and board in exchange for her services 'rolling weed.' 'We were in a public setting, and I didn't want to refer to her as 'blunt roller' with cameras and people around,' Way said of the Rodeo Drive video. 'I thought it more appropriate to call her 'assistant.'' During Way's first turn on the stand last week, Aynechi bombarded the rapper with text messages allegedly showing the woman regularly made purchases for Way in her capacity as his personal assistant. In one text exchange, Way berated the woman after he missed a flight. The woman responded by sending Way screen shots of an apparently new airline boarding pass. Testifying Tuesday, Way claimed the woman was living in his home 'rent-free' and sometimes offered to do things for him, voluntarily. The Jane Doe broke down crying as Way denied ever sexually assaulting her. In her prior testimony regarding the February 2019 police raid, she told jurors that she was in the bathroom with Way when he allegedly spun her around, pulled down her pants, and 'started having sex' with her as she froze 'in shock.' She said she didn't report the incident to the Ventura County sheriff's deputies who raided the home because she was 'terrified' of Way and his possible retaliation. 'I feared for my life,' Doe told the jury on the fourth day of the civil trial. She claimed Way told her he knew where her mother lived and had threatened to 'send shooters' to the house. 'I was scared of what he would do to my family. I didn't want him to hurt anybody because of me,' she testified. As she wiped tears, the woman claimed Way called her cruel names, withheld meals, locked her in rooms, and would spit on the floor just to watch her clean it up. Doe alleged she was so desperate for food at one point, she begged gardeners to bring her instant noodles. She dropped from 140 pounds down to 86 pounds, she testified. 'I didn't even feel human anymore. I felt like an animal,' she said. 'I wanted to die. I didn't want to be there anymore. I just wanted to go home.' The woman reported her alleged abuse to police in December 2020. Prosecutors in the Ventura County District Attorney's Office declined to file any criminal charges. 'In April 2021, after a thorough review of the investigation conducted by Ventura County Sheriff's Office detectives, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office declined to file charges due to insufficient evidence to prove the alleged crimes true beyond a reasonable doubt,' a D.A. spokesperson told Rolling Stone. The current trial started March 13 and is expected to reach closing arguments by Thursday. Doe, who filed her underlying lawsuit in January 2021, is suing Way with claims he subjected her to sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, emotional distress, unpaid overtime, and a hostile work environment. She claims Way punched her in the head on at least 10 separate occasions. The woman alleges one incident was so brutal that she lost consciousness and woke up in a locked room with no food or water. Way, who shot to worldwide fame with his 2007 viral hit 'Crank That (Soulja Boy),' has also been accused of physical and sexual assault by former girlfriends Kayla Myers and model Nia Riley, the daughter of musician Teddy Riley. Way appeared on the reality shows Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood and Marriage Boot Camp with Riley. In 2021, Riley sat down with YouTube gossip vlogger TashaK and claimed Way threatened her with a gun and kicked her in the stomach while she was pregnant, causing her to suffer a miscarriage. A lawsuit filed by a Jane Doe in May 2021 mirrors the allegations made publicly by Riley. That case resulted in a default judgment that Way is now disputing. In a separate lawsuit, Myers claimed she had a romantic relationship with Way that ended when the rapper allegedly held a gun to her head, threatened her life, and assaulted her at his home on Feb. 1, 2019. A civil court jury found Way liable for the assault and kidnapping of Myers at a trial. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fairmount Park set to become Illinois' first racino with new casino
COLLINSVILLE, Ill. – Fairmount Park, the longtime horse racing track in St. Louis' Metro East region, is making history this season. The venue will add a new casino complex to become the first racino in the state of Illinois. The casino will feature nearly 300 slot machines, including 40 premium games, according to a news release Monday from Think Tank PR & Marketing. 'Chimp Crazy' Tonia Haddix pleads guilty to three felony charges Guests can expect an exclusive selection of new and highly demanded slots and electronic table games, alongside the park's signature horse racing experience. 'Soon, folks will be able to come in and enjoy the casino as well as racing here at the track,' said Vince Gabbert, Sr. VP of US Gaming and General Manager at Fairmount Park Casino & Racing via the news release. 'We've brought in the best slot machines and electronic table games on the market. Every game on the floor is either brand-new or a fan favorite, making for an exciting selection.' Accel Entertainment, Inc., a distributed gaming operator in the United States, is the parent company behind the casino. They plan to invest $85 to $95 million in casino facilities and improvements to the horse racing experience. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now For now, there is a temporary placement of a casino in the grandstand, but a larger second-phase expansion is in the works. Farmount Park has a rich 100-year history dating back to 1925. It is the only active horse racing venue in the greater St. Louis area, and it hosts 65 race days and hundreds of horse races annually. The new horse-racing season at Fairmount Park is scheduled to begin on April 22. With the new racino expansion, Fairmount Park is looking to fill at least 200 new jobs. To learn more about opportunities, click here. NOTE: The featured video is from a May 2024 Studio STL segment on Fairmount Park. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Missouri Planned Parenthood resumes surgical abortion services
ST. LOUIS – In the past week, Planned Parenthoods around Missouri resumed their surgical abortion services, despite major legal pushback from the state health department blocking access to other types of abortion. Despite recent legal victories for abortion rights in Missouri, certain medical access is still restricted around the state, but abortion affiliates say they're not giving up the fight. The Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis Planned Parenthood locations are prepared to begin their surgical abortion services, with the St. Louis clinic performing the service last week for the first time since 2022. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Medication abortion remains blocked in Missouri due to state-imposed restrictions, meaning those looking for a more private and less invasive abortion option will have to cross state lines for access. The disagreements between pro-life and pro-choice activists only heated up in November when Missourians voted to enshrine abortion into the state constitution— that same day, the state health department effectively blocked medication abortions around the state. This topic has carried over into the new year after a judge struck down the licensing requirements for abortion facilities in Missouri. Planned Parenthood submitted paperwork to provide medication abortions back in February. After delaying their response, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services introduced a new emergency rule on March 13. 'Chimp Crazy' Tonia Haddix pleads guilty to three felony charges By the end of the month, DHSS rejected Planned Parenthood's applications for medication abortions, citing compliance issues under the new restrictions. In a statement from President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, Margot Riphagen said, 'When state officials move the goalposts on us time and time again, their intentions become clear: they will stop at nothing to block Missourians' access to critical reproductive health care, even when the voters enshrine that right into the Constitution.' FOX 2 reached out to the State Department of Health and Senior Services and has not heard back as of Monday night. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Chimp Crazy' Star Pleads Guilty to Charges Over Faking Pet Chimpanzee's Death
The star of the HBO docuseries Chimp Crazy pleaded guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice after she tearfully testified under oath that her beloved pet chimpanzee Tonka had died — when in reality, the primate was sitting in her basement. Tonia Haddix could face up to 20 years in prison and $500,000 in fines for the three felony counts. Her sentencing is scheduled for July 16 and firecracker Haddix was warned by U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark against making any more colorful remarks about the case in the interim. More from Rolling Stone Andrew Tate Beat, Choked 'Terrified' Girlfriend at Beverly Hills Hotel, Lawsuit Claims Dr. Dre Says His 'Rough' Texts to Doc Were 'Protected Activity.' Judge Disagrees Jay-Z's Extortion Claim Against Tony Buzbee Back From Dead 'If between now and sentencing you make statements to suggest that you do not accept responsibility, I will take that into account,' Clark said at Monday's court hearing, according to St. Louis Public Radio. 'I encourage you to confer with counsel before making any statements.' Rolling Stone has reached out to Haddix for comment, but her attorney Justin Gelfand told St. Louis Public Radio that she 'looks forward to putting this behind her.' Haddix became a minor celebrity last year following the release of the four-episode docuseries. She had been locked in a years-long, contentious feud with PETA after she took over the controversial Missouri Primate Foundation in 2018. In June 2021, a judge ordered Haddix to turn over seven chimpanzees in her care to a Florida animal sanctuary after she failed to make improvements to the roach-infested, feces-covered facility. However when PETA and officials arrived to transport the animals to the sanctuary, Haddix's favorite chimp Tonka — who starred in the movies George of the Jungle and Buddy — was nowhere to be found. Instead, Haddix claimed Tonka suddenly died after experiencing heart failure, submitting a sworn statement that claimed she cremated his remains. Although PETA was convinced Haddix was lying, they were unable to prove that Tonka was alive. They teamed up with Tonka's former co-star Alan Cumming to offer $20,000 in reward money to anyone who could help find Tonka's whereabouts. But Tonka was discovered alive in June 2022 after PETA received information that Haddix had been keeping Tonka locked up in a cage in her basement. The tip came from a documentary crew who had been filming with Haddix for what she claimed to believe was a film supporting the private ownership of exotic animals. In reality, Tiger King's Eric Goode was behind the project. For nearly a year, the crew had captured incriminating footage of Haddix, including a stunning scene where Haddix breaks down in tears during a Zoom court hearing about Tonka's supposed death only for her to slam the laptop shut and celebrate her short-lived court victory with Tonka in her basement. After the docuseries aired, PETA used the footage and other evidence to push the court to pursue criminal charges against Haddix. In a statement provided to Rolling Stone, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said the organization hopes Haddix serves prison time 'so she can get a taste of the suffering she condemned Tonka and other animals to.' 'When PETA and U.S. Marshals found where Haddix had hidden Tonka, he was alone, locked in a tiny cage in Haddix's dark basement, isolated, and denied everything necessary for a healthy, happy life,' Newkirk said. 'U.S. Marshals and PETA freed him and now Tonka spends his days at a beautiful sanctuary roaming a three-acre island, climbing, basking in the Florida sun, and, most importantly, spending time with other chimpanzees — and Haddix must now face consequences for her selfish, cruel actions.' Haddix previously told Rolling Stone that her love for Tonka clouded some of her decisions. If she could do it all over again, Haddix said she would still fight for Tonka, but would do some things differently. 'I wouldn't get involved with a film crew,' she said. 'They're three-quarters of my problem. Secondly, I would not have lied to a federal court judge. I just would have handled it all in a better way.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
