Hillsboro pet thief busted selling cockatoo on Craiglist

05:18 PM PST on Saturday, November 29, 2008

By JANE SMITH, Kgw.com

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A Hillsboro man is behind bars, charged with stealing exotic pets worth thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, Gracie the cockatoo is back with her owners after the pet thief got busted trying to sell her online.

A thief broke into Critter Cabana in Newberg sometime late Thursday night and stole the cockatoo, an albino Pac Man frog named Helga, several reptiles, a veiled chameleon with five babies and a bearded dragon.

Employees of Critter Cabana were so determined to find the stolen animals, they scoured the Internet and found Gracie advertised on Craigslist.

They arranged a meeting with the person who listed Gracie, confirmed the bird was theirs, and called police.

"I'm sure the idea is make a quick steal, sell it pawn it and make some quick cash," said Sgt. Tim Weaver with Newberg Police.

Authorities arrested Joshua Reed, 29, who had several of the stolen animals inside his home, according to investigators.

However, some of the animals had died and some had already been sold. Reed is also accused of stealing pets from a McMinnville pet store.













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wow

good story