‘Zombielike’ zoo trespasser keeping quiet in jail

Police and zoo officials are trying to find out how Kenneth Herron intruded on Grizzly Gulch, home to 6-year-old sisters Kachina and Kiona, just before the zoo closed at 5 p.m. Saturday. Witnesses have given conflicting reports and Herron has remained uncommunicative, San Francisco police Capt. John Loftus said.

A 4-foot-tall fence, a 15-by-20 moat and electric wire is intended to separate visitors from the animals.

Herron wasn’t injured and was taken to County Jail after undergoing a psychiatric examination at San Francisco General Hospital, Loftus said.

He’s charged with violating park code by entering the bear habitat.

Herron also was booked on a felony warrant from Union City stemming from prior arrests, Loftus said. The warrant involves a July 2006 incident in which Herron threatened his family with a steak knife and a car radio, Union City police Cpl. Bob Kensic said.