Escaped Unaccounted For Monkey Captured at Dollar General

by I. B. Lyon

It made national news on October 28th when a truck transporting rhesus monkeys had an accident on I-59 in Jasper County. The story captivated the people of central Mississippi for days because multiple monkeys escaped and were on the loose. Initially, authorities said there were 3 monkeys that had escaped, and supposedly the last “free” monkey was captured on November 1st. People joked on social media that there had to be more escaped monkeys, and they were right.

Strong River Bend (SRB) police were called to the Dollar General yesterday at approximately 5:30 pm. A shopper reported seeing another shopper walking throughout the store with a monkey on leash. The police arrived a few minutes later, and the shopper with the monkey was checking out. The officer asked the shopper to leave his items at the counter and to come outside the store. The officer questioned the individual and took him and the monkey into custody. Valley County Animal Control was called to get the monkey, and they arrived about 20 minutes later to handle the monkey.

The individual with the monkey was George Goodall. Goodall was initially charged with possession of an escaped lab monkey, but he was released after questioning. I was able to talk with Goodall, and his story is unbelievable.

Goodall said, “Let’s start from the beginning. My cousin lives in Jasper County close to where the wreck happened and the monkeys escaped. The next day, one of the monkeys showed up at his house. He said it looked scared and hungry, so he fed it. He called me because I’ve joked many times about having a monkey as an emotional support animal. I drove over to see the monkey, and we immediately formed a bond. I took him home with me, and I started training him to be an emotional support animal.”

Goodall added, “I didn’t plan to let anyone know, but he was doing so well. I got Kong potty trained, and he stopped being aggressive toward me and my dog. So, I needed to go to Dollar General to get some Little Debbie Christmas tree cakes and some sweet tea, and I decided I’d put him on a leash and bring him with me. I planned to get in and out quick so no one would put up a fuss, but I wasn’t able to do that. I’m worried about Kong. What are they gonna do with him? I know I don’t have a monkey permit or license, but I really want him back.”

One witness and Dollar General shopper said, “I had to do a double take when I saw the guy walking around with the monkey. I thought I was in a dream. The monkey was well-behaved, and he wasn’t making any noises. He did try to take some of the snacks, but the guy grabbed them and put them back. Then, the cops showed up, and they were gone. That’s just a normal day at Dollar General right?!”

Valley County Animal Control was planning to hold the monkey until authorities decide what to do with him. However, Kong escaped from the animal control specialist as he was transporting him from the vehicle to the animal control facility. So, Kong is on the loose again! Anyone who spots Kong is urged to call the Valley County Sheriff’s Dept. or the Valley County Animal Control office, and authorities are warning people to not approach Kong. Rhesus monkeys can be aggressive and dangerous.

Valley County Animal Control refused to provide a comment on the situation. The monkey saga is not over after all!