A father who brought his toddler into the elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo was sentenced on Thursday.
Jose Navarrete was sentenced to nine months in prison and four years of probation but will only serve about half of that.
Navarrete carried his 2-year-old daughter into the habitat on March 19, 2021, after climbing through multiple barriers while holding his daughter.
Get Southern California news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC LA newsletters.
Navarrete is charged with felony child endangerment.
Eyewitnesses described the harrowing situation.
"A lot of people froze and didn’t know really how to take it in, then immediately everyone was pleading with him, and then it became frantic and hysterical," Matthew Passiglia told NBC 7.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Navarette's sentencing was initially set for July of this year but didn't show up to court. His lawyers said he was a no-show because he didn't have transportation from Orange County to San Diego.
During Thursday's proceedings, the judge also signed a criminal protective order for his daughter. Navarette was also ordered to stay away from the zoo. Any potential fines were delayed because he is unemployed.
