Police Arrest Man for Felony Theft of Birds

FAIRFIELD, OH (April 4, 2025) – Police in Fairfield, OH have arrested and charged a Cincinnati area man with felony theft of two Indian Ringneck birds from two Petland stores. The company’s request for help from the public through media outlets and on social media led to police learning the identity of the suspect, whom they arrested late this morning.

The suspect was identified thanks to high quality surveillance video captured by a neighboring business’s outdoor cameras near Petland Fairfield. After seeing the story on a local newscast, a viewer called Fairfield Police and reported he had a previous encounter with the suspect at an electronic store recently and provided investigators with the man’s name. Using facial recognition, police were able to confirm the suspect was the same person.

The suspect is charged with stealing one Indian Ringneck bird from Petland Fairfield, located in the Jungle Jim’s Shopping Center, on Monday, March 31^st and a second Indian Ringneck bird was stolen from Petland Mason on Wednesday, April 2^nd.

Both birds are alive and were recovered in a location where the suspect was staying. While stressed from the ordeal, the birds are healthy and being cared for by a very grateful staff at Petland Fairfield.

Thanks to everyone who played a role in getting information out to the public, as well as those who called in tips to the police. Everyone at Petland is thankful for this community effort and wonderful result.

For information related to the arrest and identity of this suspect, please contact Sgt. Carnes with the Fairfield Police Department.

Founded in 1967, Petland, Inc. is a specialty pet retail franchise operation with nearly 300 locations in the United States, Canada, Brazil, China, El Salvador, Mexico, South Africa and Saudi Arabia. Since its beginnings as a single, family-owned and operated store in Chillicothe, Ohio, Petland pet counselors have remained dedicated to matching the right pet with the right customer and meeting the needs of both.  For more information about Petland, visit www.petland.com.

Media contact:      
Maria Smith, Communications Director
maria.smith@petlandinc.com                              
740-775-2464