CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. – A Missouri woman who gained infamy for her high-profile legal battles and controversies over exotic animal ownership, specifically chimpanzees, was taken into custody over the weekend.
U.S. Marshals arrested Tonia R. Haddix, 55, on Saturday afternoon after a St. Louis County Circuit Court judge issued a writ of body attachment, instructing law enforcement to detain Haddix and her husband, Jerry Aswegan, for allegedly ducking financial sanctions levied against them.
Haddix was released on Sunday after being held by the Camden County Sheriff’s Office. Aswegan is still expected to be taken into custody at some point.
In 2024, a federal court ordered Tonia Haddix and Jerry Aswegan to pay more than $220,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs to PETA last year to end a lawsuit.
Haddix and Aswegan gained national notoriety as the focus of the HBO docuseries “Chimp Crazy,” which explored Haddix’s actions and broader issues related to the private ownership of exotic animals. The docuseries is based on original reporting from FOX Files investigator Chris Hayes.
Over the years, Haddix cared for the seven chimpanzees and bred them as talent for films and photoshoots, among other activities. These chimpanzees previously inhabited the Missouri Primate Foundation, a now-defunct animal breeding facility near Festus.
Haddix’s attachment to one chimpanzee, Tonka, sparked national attention in 2021.
Tonka is a former animal movie star, appearing in films like the 1997 comedy “Buddy.” At some point, Haddix claimed that Tonka had died when she instead had him locked in her basement.
Animal advocacy groups like PETA said the many chimpanzees once under her care were unsafe and neglected.
In 2020, Haddix and PETA came to terms as part of a consent decree, allowing Haddix to keep three of seven chimps in her care. Haddix later balked at the agreement, prompting a federal raid of her Festus animal facility in July 2021. Six chimps—not including Tonka—were removed and transferred to a Florida animal sanctuary. At the time, Haddix claimed Tonka was dead.
But nearly one whole year later, Tonka was found caged in Haddix’s basement in her Lake of the Ozarks-area home.
That discovery prompted a new lawsuit from PETA, which contended that Haddix and her husband concocted an elaborate hoax when claiming Tonka had died, lied under oath about text messages she sent about Tonka at a time she previously deemed the chimp dead and tried to bribe federal marshals ordered to prevent Haddix from euthanizing Tonka. That lawsuit was supposedly settled in 2024, with Haddix and Aswego agreeing to a six-figure payout.
However, PETA alleges the pair have failed to make any payments as part of the settlement and have not shared financial records. The St. Louis County judge’s court order, filed July 17, said Haddix and Aswego have failed to appear at multiple scheduled court hearings.
The judge scheduled a show cause hearing for Aug. 5 to provide an update on the matter.
Meanwhile, Tonka now resides at the “Save The Chimps” sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida.
