Monkeys and parrots and $11,000 — oh my!
Michael Shonneric Bryant, a 16-year-old Florida boy was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly stealing at least $11,000 worth of monkeys and parrots from an self-proclaimed exotic bird breeder, according to TCPalm.com.
“We’re hoping they’re alive,” Port St. Lucie police spokesman Master Sgt. Frank Sabol told the paper about the animals. “We’re hoping we can recover them alive and in good health.”
The 45-year-old victim, Antoine Herndon, told police he went to check on his animals the morning of Dec. 1, but discovered that four African Grey parrots — valued at $800 each — and two Cotton-Top Tamarins — valued at $2,000 to $4,000 each — were missing.
The incident started about a month ago, when the bird breeder noticed two kids — one of them being Bryant — hanging out near his property and pointing to the neighboring lot where he kept the animals. He called the police, who spoke to the kids before the children rode off on their bicycles.
After the theft on the night of Nov. 30, police received an anonymous tip that Bryant had been telling fellow classmates about the animals. He was also showing classmates where he was keeping the creatures, via Google Maps, according to the Palm Beach Post.
The teen is facing felony charges of burglary and grand theft, and police are still trying to locate the animals.
