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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — A St. Petersburg man is facing two felony charges after torturing and killing two of his pet birds, according to an arrest affidavit from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Officers with the St. Petersburg Police Department responded to the Enclave at Sabal Pointe apartment complex Saturday, Dec. 6, at around 9:15 p.m.
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The suspect, 39-year-old Bradley Walters, told police he snatched the bird out of the air before squeezing and shaking it until it was dead. He admitted that, “in a rage,” he did the same thing to a second bird, the affidavit said.
At that point, he dismembered the animal. Police then saw the two dead birds in Walters’ garbage can, one with its head removed.
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While police were putting him under arrest for animal cruelty, he began resisting, the affidavit said.
The reporting officer wrote that Walters locked his arms and tried to pull them away from the two officers. He then tried to shrug them both off, causing them to fall. After being read his Miranda rights, Walters admitted that he “tussled” with the officers.
He was arrested and charged with two felonies: resisting an officer with violence and cruelty to animals. The affidavit also states he was placed in protective custody under the Baker Act.
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