DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police are investigating a possible link between two separate burglaries involving birds at pet stores in Davie and in Delray Beach.
We’ve all heard bird chatter, but when bird sellers across Florida are hit by bird thieves, they communicate, too.
“One of our friends’ stores in Davie was robbed a few weeks ago,” said Billy Polden, whose family runs Brenda’s Birds in Delray Beach. “Another store in Orlando that was robbed, it was a little different M.O. Instead of coming through the ceiling, they came through a hole in the back wall.”
Thieves stole different species of birds from Charlie Hong’s business in Davie last month. Someone cut into Hong’s ceiling, cut the power and alarm and stole about 140 birds. Surveillance footage showed someone walking behind the Shops at Stirling Place with objects in each hand.
A spokesperson for Delray Beach Police said they will be comparing notes with Davie Police about the cases, but the bird sellers in South Florida said they’re similar enough for them to be on high alert.
“They’re just like a dog and a cat, they communicate with you, body language, sound. I just love my birds,” said Hong. “My heart sank. I walked in. I saw a couple of birds flying around.”
Polden, whose family has run the business for nearly 30 years, said he nearly became the victim of a bird thief who created a hole in the ceiling to get to the animals. An alert brought him to his store after hours.
“On Friday, about 9, 9:30 p.m., I got an alert that the power went off in our store and the Wi-Fi was down,” Polden said. “As we drove around the back, we see the back door is open. As we get a little closer, we see the door closes.”
Delray Beach Police said the would-be thief was still on the scene with birds packed up in several crates.
Yeimis Lazaro Portieles, a 31-year-old from Hialeah, was arrested in connection to the break-in.
Polden said the burglary would have been a loss of about $60,000, but some of the bigger birds didn’t survive the attempt.
The question now for police: Are these heists connected? Or just an eerie coincidence?
Portieles drove away from the scene in Delray Beach, but police stopped him heading south on Interstate 95. They said he admitted to trying to steal the birds.
He faces charges of burglary, larceny up to $100,000 and child neglect, because there was a 2-month-old child in the SUV when he was stopped.
If you have any information about the burglary at the bird store in Davie, you’re urged to call Davie Police or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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