A man from Portland, Tennessee, has been arrested after he allegedly threatened to blow up a veterinary hospital over the care of his pet spider monkey.
As reported by WVLT, 37-year-old Joseph McDorman called the University of Tennessee Veterinary Hospital on Thursday, Aug. 7, to request an urgent appointment for his pet monkey.
When he was informed that the clinic didn't open again until 7:30 a.m., he allegedly made a threat against the hospital.
"If my monkey dies, I am coming up there to blow the whole fucking building up," McDorman told the operator.
After he made the threat, the veterinary hospital refused to treat his monkey. Authorities traced the origin of the call and found that McDorman was responsible for making the threat.
He is facing charges of harassment and making a threat of mass violence.
An account that appears to belong to McDorman on YouTube features several videos of a man with his pet spider monkey.
In one video, simply titled "baby monkey," he showed off his trailer park home. Spider monkeys are legal to own as a pet in the state of Tennessee, while the ownership of apes such as chimpanzees and orangutans is illegal.
