The sale of a giraffe in Robertson County turns into a criminal investigation
Two people have been arrested including the owner of the Franklin Drive Thru Safari and a woman known as “Mimi Erotic” who helped to negotiate the sale, according to prosecutors.
FRANKLIN, Texas (KBTX) - An out-of-state buyer who paid for a giraffe claims she never received it and now the matter has turned into a criminal investigation in Roberston County.
KBTX first became aware of the case Sunday when Trisha Denise Meyer, who gained internet fame for other cases involving exotic wildlife, showed up on Robertson County’s jail roster. The 40-year-old known online as “Mimi Erotic” was booked in Franklin on a single charge of Misapplication of Fiduciary Property and remained there Monday night with no bond set.
Meyer was transported to Robertson County following her arrest in California on an unrelated charge of illegally transporting and selling an endangered jaguar cub that was later abandoned.
The case in Robertson County is linked to the Franklin Drive Thru Safari, according to District Attorney W. Coty Siegert.
The safari’s owner, Jason Charles Clay, and Meyer are accused of accepting money for a giraffe in the fall of 2018 but the buyer said she never received the animal.
Meyer was the negotiator for the sale, said Siegert.
Both were indicted in July on the charge of Misapplication of Fiduciary Property but Meyer’s indictment remained sealed until her arrest.
Court documents say the value of the giraffe was somewhere between $30,00 and $150,000.
Earlier this month, KBTX reported the safari was put up for sale. A representative made clear it not closing and that the current owners will continue being involved in running the park.
Federal prosecutors say Meyer is from Houston but records from the Robertson County jail list her city of residence as Austin. In 2016, Meyer was arrested after police found exotic and dangerous animals living inside her home in Cypress.
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