OLDSMAR, Fla. — A Largo woman was arrested for grand theft after surveillance footage shows her stealing an exotic baby bird.
Kirsten Cunningham is the owner of Everything Birds in Oldsmar.
She said one of the baby black-headed caiques was stolen from the store just before 10 a.m. on Saturday. The store is located in the Oldsmar Flea Market.
"It's one of the more rare types of parrots," said Cunningham.
"They're known for really excellent temperaments. They're very nice. They're very playful. As you can see, this baby doesn't want to stop moving. They love to play with toys. They love to ride around on your shoulders so they give a really good pet experience and they're kind of more rare and hard to breed," she said as she held a caique.
Surveillance video from the pet store shows the woman standing in front of the bird compartment when she reaches down, grabs one of the baby birds, puts it in her purse and walks out of the store. The bird is worth $2,400, she Cunningham.
Before the theft, Cunningham said she greeted the woman and started vacuuming because she was getting ready for an event on Saturday morning.
"It was just really shocking someone would be so nice to your face and then literally steal a bird behind your back. I was instantly worried because this baby is on hand feeding formula. It doesn't eat totally on its own yet," she said.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said that two anonymous people contacted the store owners through social media and identified the woman as Grissel Flores Nistal, 54.
Detectives found Nistal at her Largo home. She agreed to return the bird and was arrested. She is being charged with one count of felony grand theft and was taken to the Pinellas County Jail.
The bird was safely returned to the store.
"Thank you to the people who did recognize this woman and turned her in and to law enforcement who worked quickly," said Cunningham.
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