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GODFREY, Ill. (AP) - A southwestern Illinois prosecutor says a boy bitten by a pet monkey during a dog event will undergo precautionary rabies vaccinations rather than having the primate euthanized to see if it's infected with the disease.

Madison County State's Attorney Tom Gibbons tells The (Alton) Telegraph that the decision involving the 6-year-old boy came after the prosecutor's office consulted with the child's parents.

The monkey named Nina has been in quarantine since it bit the boy June 2 when the child tried to pet the java macaque during a yearly "Bark in the Park" event in Godfrey. 

No charges have been filed, and Gibbons' office is trying to determine who legally owns the monkey.

Dr. David Hall with Madison County's animal-control office says his agency was seeking advice from the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

   

GODFREY, Ill. (AP) - Authorities in southwestern Illinois say a woman's decision to bring her pet monkey to a dog outing in a park went awry when the primate bit a boy.

 

   Madison County Sheriff's Department Capt. Mike Dixon says the 6-year-old was treated a hospital for lacerations and bite marks to his arm after Sunday's confrontation in Godfrey, northeast of St. Louis.

 

   Dixon says the monkey's owner brought the java macaque and her dog to the yearly "Bark in the Park" event. Dixon says both animals were on a leash, but the monkey's possessive of the dog. So when a boy tried to pet the dog, the monkey chomped.

 

   Dixon says the woman hasn't been ticketed or charged. But he says the county's animal-control agency is investigating.

GODFREY, Ill. (AP) - Authorities in Madison County are searching out anyone who may have bought things from an alleged burglar of storage units, and they're confident the purchasers will remember the seller.

Twenty-four year old Adam Roberts is accused of three felony counts of burglary related to thefts last month from as many as 28 storage units in his hometown of Godfrey.

What makes Roberts distinctive is the skeleton-style tattoo over his face - artwork sheriff's Capt. Mike Dixon calls "just odd."

Authorities say they've recovered $1,000 worth of stolen property taken in the break-ins, but they suspect Roberts or an accomplice may have sold other items.

Roberts is jailed on $60,000 bond. Online court records don't show whether he has an attorney.

Anyone having information concerning this investigation or the stolen property is urged to contact the Madison County Sheriff’s Office at the following numbers:

618-692-4433 (Dispatch Center)
618-692-0871 (Investigative Division)
618-296-3000 (Anonymous Tip Line)

The death of Godfrey, Illinois man is being called a tragic accident.

Madison County Coroner Stephen Nonn says 78 year old Richard Gonzales was killed Tuesday afternoon in the driveway of a relative's home in Alton. Crews were called to the home in the 3300 block of Lincoln about 2:30 p.m.

Nonn says Gonzales had apparently tried to exit his car before putting it in park. When the car started rolling, he tried to get back inside to stop it, but was pinned between the open door and a fence.

Rescue crews tried to resuscitate him at the scene, but Gonzales was pronounced dead at the hospital.

His family says they believe the accident happened while he'd been delivering Valentine Day cards to family members, as was his custom on holidays.