A father who trespassed an enclosure at the San Diego Zoo with his 2-year-old daughter was sentenced to probation with credit for time served in custody.
Jose Manuel Navarrete, 26, pleaded guilty to a felony child endangerment count for climbing through multiple barriers to entering an enclosure on March 19, 2021. Zoo officials said it was home to Asian and African elephants.
Navarrete did not appear at his original sentencing in July.
Cellphone footage taken by San Diego Zoo visitors showed Navarrete trespassing the barriers in place with his daughter to take a photo. An elephant in the enclosure noticed and trotted in their direction.
In an effort to leave the enclosure, Navarrete dropped the girl, but picked her up and escaped the enclosure.
The intruders and the elephants in the enclosure were unharmed.
Among his probation terms was an order to stay away from the San Diego zoo and to abide by a criminal protective order involving his daughter.
Navarrete was also sentenced to four years probation, according to a local media outlet.
