ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A 46-year-old man living in St. Petersburg is accused of stealing rare books and two tortoises.
Joshua McCarty-Thomas was charged with two commercial burglaries.
Authorities served a search warrant Tuesday for the 46-year-old at his home on 10th Street South in St. Peterburg and found two rare tortoises, the police department said in a news release.
One of the tortoises was reportedly found alive in the yard and the other carcass was in the freezer. A 10 Tampa Bay crew at the scene found additional tortoises in the yard Tuesday evening.
Law enforcement says McCarty-Thomas stole the endangered Galapagos tortoises from the St. Augustine Alligator Zoological Park back on Nov. 30, 2022, which was confirmed by The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission when they tracked the tortoises' chips.
The younger tortoises are each worth about $10,000 and can weigh up to 600 pounds when fully grown and live up to 150 years, police say.
McCarty-Thomas is also accused of stealing rare books worth thousands of dollars from the Haslam's Book Store on Central Avenue on Dec. 16, 2022, and the Lighthouse Books on 1st Avenue North on Oct. 15, 2019. Both bookstores are located in St. Pete.
Authorities say there is another arrest warrant issued for the 46-year-old for a commercial burglary of a store in Ocala where comic books worth thousands of dollars were stolen.
Police said McCarty-Thomas is married to a correctional officer who could face charges, as well. The investigation of the incident remains ongoing.