The man who broke into a San Francisco Zoo exhibit in 2020 and kidnapped an endangered ring-tailed lemur has accepted a plea deal for the attention-grabbing heist, which requires mental health treatment but no additional jail time.

Cory McGilloway pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor earlier this month after federal prosecutors agreed the 33-year old, who was facing federal charges of violating the Endangered Species Act, needed medical treatment for a bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to court documents.

Under the terms of the deal, McGilloway will return to his mother’s home in North Carolina to begin treatment for mental health issues and drug use, according to court documents. He was released from an Alameda County jail last week after spending nearly 18 months in custody awaiting judgment in the case.

“While parts of Mr. McGilloway’s mental health history are murky, the evidence of mental health concerns and Mr. McGilloway’s need for treatment, rather than more incarceration, ultimately led…to a plea agreement,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing document. McGilloway’s public defender was not immediately available for comment on Thursday.

His late-night lemur caper drew national headlines in October 2020, after he snuck into the zoo’s Lipman Family Lemur Forest habitat and escaped with the endangered ring-tailed lemur. He released the elderly animal at a Daly City preschool two days later. McGilloway was taken into custody in Marin County the same day, after police found photos of the lemur on his cell phone.

Maki returned to the zoo unharmed but died of old age in March.

In court documents, prosecutors and defense attorneys painted McGilloway as a troubled man struggling with addiction. A mental health evaluation determined he was fit to face federal charges despite a bevy of mental health challenges related to his drug use.

Between 2008 and 2021, McGilloway was convicted of 11 crimes that ranged from drug possession and burglary to assault with a deadly weapon.

This month’s plea deal capped off more than two years of legal proceedings in the aftermath of the lemur kidnapping.

Just hours after he released the lemur at the Daly City preschool, McGilloway was arrested for stealing a sanitary service truck in Marin County. During the Oct. 15, 2020 arrest, officers found photos of Maki on McGilloway’s cell phone. He received probation on that case and was ordered to attend weekly mental health classes and take his prescribed medication, his defense attorney said at the time.

McGilloway was then transferred to San Francisco to face state charges of second degree burglary, grand theft and vandalism charges and a federal charge of violating the Endangered Species Act in Maki’s abduction.

Federal prosecutors reduced those charges to a misdemeanor on the condition that McGilloway return to his mother’s North Carolina home to begin treatment for at least three months. In court filings, prosecutors said McGilloway had stabilized during his time in custody and “intends to start a new in North Carolina,” bolstered by family members.

Nora Mishanec is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nora.mishanec@sfchronicle.com

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SAN FRANCISCO – A San Francisco Zoo & Gardens ring-tailed lemur that made headlines when he was kidnapped and recovered a year and a half ago has died at the age of 22, zoo officials announced Friday.

“Maki” was one of the zoo’s oldest lemurs, exceeding the median life expectancy of 16.7 years, the zoo said in a news release. He was recently diagnosed with acute kidney disease, which together with his advanced age contributed to his death Thursday, officials said.

On Oct. 13, 2020, Maki was nabbed from the Lipman Family Lemur Forest enclosure. Zoo officials said he was old, slow-moving and required a specialized diet.

The San Francisco Police Department recovered Maki less than 36 hours later when 5-year-old James Trinh spotted him at a playground in Daly City. San Francisco Mayor London Breed honored James and Maki in a ceremony that year on World Lemur Day.

“The fact that Maki survived his ordeal to thrive among his group for more than a year and a half is truly remarkable,” San Francisco Zoological Society CEO and Executive Director Tanya M. Peterson said in a statement.

“Maki became a symbol of resilience and bravery, becoming a fan favorite,” she continued. “His story increased awareness of endangered lemurs worldwide. We are heartbroken for this loss.”

On the same day Maki was found, a 30-year-old man was arrested in connection with his abduction. Zoo officials said he was charged with violating the Endangered Species Act.

While the kidnapping incident elevated Maki’s status as one of the zoo’s more popular animals, he was also one of the few lemurs that moved into the largest outdoor mixed lemur habitat in the country when it opened in 2002, according to the zoo.

Maki’s long-time caretaker, Lori Komejan, said Maki’s favorite food was purple grapes – he did not care for green grapes.

Maki also trusted his caretakers like no other lemur; As the lowest-ranking member of his ring-tailed lemur group, he often chose to eat next to his caretakers rather than his group.

“His personality filled the forest, and he will be missed forever,” Komejan said in a statement.

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A Los Angeles man accused of stealing a lemur from the San Francisco Zoo this week was arrested Thursday in San Rafael after allegedly stealing a store from a supermarket and then stealing a truck, authorities said With.

Cory McGilloway, 30, has been admitted to Marin County Jail for crimes such as burglary, theft, and vandalism. San Rafael police said he stole about $ 500 worth of groceries from the Smart & Final on 935 Anderson Drive Thursday night and then stole a truck owned by Marin Sanitary Service.

San Rafael police searched McGilloway’s cell phone while investigating the thefts and found a photo of a lemur. Lt. Dan Fink said the photo aroused suspicion among arresting officers, who knew Maki, a male ring-tailed lemur, had been stolen from the San Francisco Zoo this week.

Fink said officers notified the San Francisco police, who interviewed McGilloway and charged him in connection with stealing the lemur. McGilloway will be transferred to the San Francisco County Jail after his release from San Rafael police custody for aggravated animal theft, break-ins, looting and vandalism, authorities said.

The overnight break-in at the San Francisco Zoo was reported Wednesday morning. The investigation into the incident continues, the San Francisco police said on Friday.

The missing lemur was found on San Fernando Way in Daly City around 5 p.m. Thursday, police said. Maki “was determined to be in good health and was returned to the San Francisco Zoo,” said the San Francisco Police Department in an announcement.

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