OLDSMAR, Fla. — A 54-year-old woman from Largo was arrested Sunday after she allegedly stole an exotic bird worth $2,400 from a store in Oldsmar, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said in a release.
Grissel Nistal was arrested for grand theft a day after deputies say she stole the black-headed Caique from Everything Birds in the Oldsmar Flea Market on Racetrack Road.
The sheriff's office says Nistal can be seen on surveillance video removing the bird from a container where store guests can pet and interact with the animals before stuffing it in her purse and leaving.
Surveillance video of the alleged incident can be viewed below:
Kirsten Cunningham, one of the owners of Everything Birds, told 10 Tampa Bay that the baby bird was handfeeding and required formula.
Store owners shared the video on Facebook to see if anyone could identify Nistal. On Sunday, two people reportedly contacted the store owners through social media, identifying Nistal as the woman in the video.
Detectives were able to contact Nistal at her home in Largo before she agreed to return the bird and was taken into custody, deputies said. The bird was reportedly returned to its owner and "is in good health."
"The baby is doing well and back on its handfeeding schedule," Everything Birds said in a Facebook post. "We think we're going to name him BANDIT."