Unexpectedly, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Democratic delegate to the US House of Representatives representing the District of Columbia, issued a denial statement on Friday, saying she wasn't involved in the incident and provided an alibi that she “was enjoying quiet time at home with family.”
Norton noted in the weird statement that speculation of her involvement in the yet unsolved case of the striped escapees is “understandable.”
The lawmaker explained that she “has valued the principle of consent of the governed, most notably in the fight for statehood for the District" as well as a disdain for "unnecessary fences."
"My alibi is solid, but given my career of fighting for statehood for the District, which includes years of explaining the importance of having consent of the governed, and given my recent opposition to fences, I can understand why the charge was made," she said. "I hope the owners find the zebras and that all involved live long, full lives."
Norton's remarks have prompted a lot of lulz on social media (as if they wouldn't have).
The animals escaped from a 300-acre farm belonging to Jerry Holly, who is licensed to legally keep 39 zebras, NBC News reported.
According to Rodney Taylor, chief of Prince George’s County Animal Services Division, three of the zebras were reported on 31 August after they had been spotted in a wooded area of Upper Marlboro between two farms.