Two Pokemon Go players in Ohio were arrested for trespassing at the Toledo Zoo early Thursday morning.
“I was just hanging out with my friend, we were playing Pokemon GO,” Robin Bartholomy, one of the two accused, told WTOL. “We were just like ‘Hey, I got a crazy idea, let’s jump the fence!'”
Police say Bartholomy, 25, and Adrian Crawford, 26, went over a fence near the zoo’s tiger enclosure in search of the smartphone game’s cartoon monsters.
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They were spotted on a zoo security camera and were walking through the zoo when they were caught early Thursday.
“It wasn’t the most responsible thing but, hey, gotta catch’em all,” Bartholomy said.
According to other players, the Toledo Zoo has become as popular for spotting Pokemon as real animals.
“There are a lot of Poke-Stops everywhere,” said Devin Mason. “There’s a lot of memorials, there’s a lot of different places you can go to the cafe here, the Tembo trail, and the zoo has random terrain everywhere, so random Pokemon always randomly appear.”
The zoo said it welcomed Pokemon Go players, but urged them to respect the rules and general safety protocol associated with the park.
“Obviously we welcome all guests to attend the zoo and if they’re playing Pokemon, that’s fine with us as well,” said Shayla Bell Moriarty, director of communications at the Toledo Zoo.
Earlier this week, Bartholomy posted on social media that she was “not above breaking and entering for Pokemon.”
Now facing a possibility of 30 to 180 days in jail, the Pokemaster’s tune has changed.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a Charizard, don’t break into people’s property to catch it,” said Bartholomy.
Bartholomy and Crawford both pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on Friday.
—With files from the Associated Press.
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