Florida man pocketed a pet store parrot. Now he’s a jailbird, cops say  

A Venice man who pilfered a parrot from a local pet store is now a jailbird himself, according to local law enforcement.

Richard Rivers, 44, was arrested on Thursday in relation to a strange incident caught on surveillance video at a Pet Supermarket in Sarasota last week.

A man who entered the store first snatched a bag of bird seed, according to employee statements collected by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. He then reached into a bird cage full of small parrots and plucked out a green-cheeked conure named Lapis.

An employee confronted the man, deputies say, but the bird bandit reacted by stuffing the parrot in his shorts’ pocket and making a quick exit from the store. He then drove away.

Deputies were able to identify the man as Rivers based on the surveillance footage and track him down at his Venice home.

Rivers was arrested on a charge of petit theft and transported to the Sarasota County jail.

Lapis the parrot came through the adventure unscathed, according to the sheriff’s office.

Rivers remained imprisoned on Thursday in lieu of $500 bond, according to jail records. Rivers, whose occupation is listed as “handy man,” had previously been arrested on Sept. 24 on a charge of grand theft.