Man Called ‘Redbeard’ Steals Roommate’s Parrot In FL Keys: Sheriff

FLORIDA KEYS — A Summerland Key man who goes by the nickname “Redbeard” faces charges after stealing his roommate’s eclectus parrot and leaving it injured at a bus stop, authorities said.

Justin David Peters, 40, was arrested Tuesday and charged with grand theft and animal cruelty, according to a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office news release.

His roommate, a 37-year-old woman, reported her $1,800 parrot named Piper missing on June 14, and told deputies she believed Peters had stolen the bright, red bird.

She said she often had to tell him to leave the parrot alone and he was instructed not to remove it from its cage or leave their home with it.

The day before the bird was reported missing, a witness told deputies he saw a man — who was later identified as Peters — at a bus stop and later realized that he left a red parrot behind on the bench, the sheriff’s office said. The witness brought the parrot home and tried finding its owner through various methods, including calling the sheriff's office.

Witnesses at a nearby restaurant and gas station also reported seeing Peters with the same red parrot. Both witnesses described the bird as “stressed and agitated,” the agency said. Security camera footage confirmed he and the parrot were at these locations.

Deputies returned the bird to its owner. The parrot was taken to a veterinarian and found to have suffered multiple broken bones, a dislocated hip, blunt-force trauma to one side of its body and other injuries.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been launched to help Piper’s owners pay for its veterinary care.

“Piper is still recovering but slowly healing,” the fundraiser’s organizers wrote.

As of Thursday morning, nearly $600 of the $3,000 goal was met.

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