HYATTSVILLE, Md. — Exotic wildlife seller Jerry Lee Holly was found not guilty of animal cruelty charges in a Hyattsville courtroom on Wednesday afternoon.
Holly, 78 of Upper Marlboro, owned several zebras that escaped and roamed free for months around Prince George's County two years ago.
Opening statements began in the bench trial Wednesday morning.
The three charges came after one of the zebras was found dead in an illegal snare trap just feet away from Holly’s fence line enclosing his captive herd, according to charging documents.
“The animal should have been seen or heard while it was dying from being caught in the snare if the caretaker had attended to the zebras in the fenced enclosure, and most likely died of dehydration after a period of a few days struggling in the trap,” investigators wrote.
Investigators said another dead zebra was found in the farm’s enclosure back in October 2021.
Holly, an exotic animal trader, was the owner of a herd of 39 zebras that were transported to his Maryland farm from a Florida property, according to Rodney Taylor, Chief of Animal Services in Prince Georges County.
At least three of the zebras escaped in August 2021 and were the subject of a massive search effort. The bizarre story captivated the D.C. region. All zebras were found and captured in December.
During Wednesday's trial, a farm worker testified that the zebras escaped after a tree fell on a special 8-foot steel wire fence Holly built before transferring the Zebra's from Florida to Maryland. He said Holly directed him to fix the fence right away.
An animal control officer also testified that he saw now signs the zebras were not getting enough food, water and shelter.
But prosecutors argued the escape was caused by Holly's neglect, and exposed the zebras and the public to serious danger.
Holly has a lengthy criminal history in Florida, where he kept zebras on an 810-acre ranch before relocating to Maryland. He was cited 240 times over 17 years for wildlife violations and convicted twice.