Police in South Florida have arrested four teens who are accused of trying to sell 39 stolen pigeons at a pet shop Wednesday.
The teens, ranging in age from 14 to 17, have been charged with dealing in stolen property. Police believe they could be tied to five separate burglaries in Hialeah, Fla., over the past two days.
The pigeons were stolen from cages kept in the owners' backyards, according to police. The birds are reportedly kept as pets, sport and hobby.
"Instead of being in school, they're jumping into people's backyards at night and stealing pigeons from cages and coups. It's popular in Hialeah to keep them as pets or sport or messenger pigeons," said Carl Zogby with Hialeah Police.
Police said, in these types of cases, after pigeons are stolen, they are typically sold for a fraction of their actual cost. Each bird is valued at about $100, totaling about $3,900 for all 39 birds.
All the birds are safe and will be returned to their owners.
----------------
Courtesy of our news partners at NBCMiami.com.
