Charges dismissed against woman whose pet kangaroo escaped into the streets of Monroe

 

This joey named Jack was the subject of a city-wide hunt
in Monroe after escaping from a residence last October.

The saga of an Arlington, Washington area woman charged with bringing a young kangaroo into Monroe city limits last fall concluded earlier this week with all charges being dismissed in the city’s municipal court.

Before a courtroom full of curious onlookers, Judge Jessica Ness agreed with the prosecution to dismiss the case against Melinda Eader on the grounds that the city’s exotic animal ordinance simply did not extend to kangaroos.

 “As it turns out, the ordinance was intended for bears, alligators and wolves,” Eader said her public defender advised. 

The escape of Eader’s joey, named Jack, made headlines in October when it bounded into the alleys of Monroe and prompted a city-wide hunt for the eight-month-old kangaroo, which Eader had acquired just the day before from a breeder near her home. Eader said she fled that night with the kangaroo and her dog to a residence in Monroe to evade a domestic violence threat and had no knowledge she was in violation of city code by doing so. The acquaintance who gave her a ride to the residence, owned by a friend, also stayed there and while Eader slept he let the kangaroo out for a potty break. That’s when the kangaroo wiggled free from its harness and hopped wildly into neighborhood around 3:30 a.m.  

The acquaintance woke Eader, who immediately alerted authorities that the joey was on the loose then began her own frantic search. It was not too long before the hunt for Jack became a frenzy, with locals joining the fray and transmitting photos of their occasional sightings. Inevitably the news media caught wind of all the excitement, and before long three news helicopters were circling in hopes of catching a glimpse of the wayward marsupial. 

Eventually Jack was captured by a kangaroo specialist, but rather than return the pet to Eader it was confiscated and taken to a veterinary care facility in Fall City about 25 miles away. A trained veterinary technician, Eader has previously owned a kangaroo, along with a menagerie of pigs, chickens, ducks, dogs, kittens and rabbits.

Melinda Eader with the pet kangaroo she previously owned 

The following day Eader received an official email, followed by a phone call from Monroe police, letting her know not only would they not return the joey to her, but that she would be responsible for the costs associated with its care and feeding, amounting to $500 a day. She was told she could petition the court to return Jack to her, but that would take time and the clock was ticking. Or she could agree to give up ownership of Jack to the city and spare the expense. Eader, a single mother of three with limited financial resources, said she reluctantly signed papers to relinquish the animal to avoid paying the penalty. 

Eader said she heard nothing more on her case and assumed no more would come of it until mid-February when she was served notice that it was proceeding. She learned that she misdemeanor charge, if prosecuted to its fullest extent, came with a potential year in jail and other penalties. 

The case was presented in Monroe Municipal Court on March 3, and Eader was appointed a public defender to represent her. But the charges were dropped when Prosecuting Attorney Carolyn Miller filed a motion for lack of probable cause due to kangaroos not being specifically covered in the city ordinance. 

Eader said she overheard some snickering within the court room among those discussing the case, along with questions as to why it was even on the court docket. 

While she would like Jack back, Eader said she has little hope that will happen. Last she’d heard her joey is in the care of the specialist who originally captured Jack in Monroe, who is acquainted with the breeder from whom she acquired him. 

(Writer's note: Melinda is our niece. This story was developed from interviews with her and official records she shared about her case).