ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Pete Police said detectives found two stolen rare tortoises at a home in St. Pete Tuesday afternoon.
Police said detectives served a search warrant to Joshua McCarty-Thomas and searched his home at 2400 block on 10th Street S. in St. Petersburg. When authorities searched the home they found two endangered Galapagos Tortoises.
According to police, the tortoises were from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in St. Augustine, FL. Police found one tortoise alive in McCarty-Thomas' backyard and one dead tortoise carcass in the freezer.
FWC verified the tortoise chips were the ones stolen last November from St. Augustine. Officials said each juvenile tortoise was worth about $10,000.
McCarty-Thomas is charged with stealing rare reptiles and rare books.
In addition to the tortoises, McCarty-Thomas was charged in two commercial burglaries for allegedly stealing rare books worth thousands of dollars from two stores in St. Pete, Haslam's Book Store and Lighthouse Books.
