HUNTINGTON BEACH : 5 of 8 Stolen Exotic Birds Are Recovered

Several exotic, pampered parrots and macaws reported stolen from a pet store on Christmas night have been recovered unharmed, to the relief of employees who feared the birds would die without their special treatment.

Police said they arrested Jorge V. Campos, 25, at his home in Santa Ana on Sunday in connection with the burglary at Petland Huntington Beach, 10111 Adams Ave. Campos was held at Huntington Beach City Jail on Monday in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Investigators said they are looking for the pet store janitor, 38-year-old Arturo Martinez of Huntington Beach, in connection with the theft of more than $16,000 worth of exotic birds and other pets.

“Thank God we got the macaws back, because they were the youngest,” said pet store owner Lisa Switzer. Priced at $5,000 each, the scarlet macaw and the harlequin macaw were the most expensive of the eight birds stolen.

Also recovered on Sunday were a yellow-head parrot, two spectacle Amazon parrots and a brown female boxer puppy. Switzer said a lilac crown parrot and two spectacle Amazon parrots are still missing.

On the morning of the burglary, Officer Robert Calabuig stopped Campos for an illegal U-turn near the pet store about 3 a.m., police said.

Calabuig gave Campos a ticket and saw him enter a residence at 19765 Claremont Lane. After the burglary was reported at 7:30 a.m., Calabuig told Detective Chuck Nowotny that he remembered seeing several birds in Campos’ car.

Martinez, who lives at the Claremont Lane house, has not been located, said police spokesman Lt. Ed McErlain.

Campos directed police on Sunday to two Santa Ana homes where they recovered the birds.

“They look like they are happy to be back,” Switzer said. She said the birds looked thin because they were fed bird seed and tortillas instead of their special high-vitamin formula.

Switzer said Martinez has been a janitor at the store for about a year and had keys to the store.