LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is crediting media coverage leading to the apprehension of a 44-year-old man in the theft of 69 valuable birds from their cages at a home in Lake Worth Beach.
Damian Ramallo is facing felony charges of armed burglary, grand theft and theft after his arrest Saturday morning. He is in the Palm Beach County Jail with a court appearance scheduled for Monday after his refusal Sunday.
"After your media coverage the suspect started dumping evidence in the trash, hence, bringing attention to himself," spokeswoman Teri Barbera said in an email.
Subsequently, PBSO determined him to be the suspect who burglarized the home and stole over $10,000 in Conure birds
The thefts occurred Wednesday morning behind a home in Lake Worth Beach.
Barbera said the resident returned home to discover that her birds had been stolen: 20 cockatoos, 20 pigeons, 15 canaries, 10 baby cockatoos and four parakeets.
Security video showed a man wearing a dark hat with an orange brim, a blue sweatshirt with Spanish-language writing on it and blue jeans outside the home shortly after 8:30 a.m.
About an hour later, Barbera said, the same bearded man returned, this time wearing a camouflage jacket.
He was seen carrying a knife
