By JOSEPH KELLARD
On Monday, Oct. 6, James Combs, 26, was chased from Petland Discount after police responded to a burglar alarm and officer Jacqueline Lewis witnessed the accused standing by an open door at the rear of the store about 2:50 a.m.
"He stacked up pet supplies outside the store and left the parrots and a ferret at the scene when he fled," said Detective Sgt. John Azzata of the Fourth Precinct.
Combs jumped a fence and ran across Firemen's Field behind the shopping center, where he was tracked down and apprehended by officer Steven Paul. The officers recovered $2,400 in merchandise: four parrots, a ferret and assorted bird supplies.
Two mornings earlier, on Oct. 4, Combs had burglarized the pet store, making off with two parrots and approximately $150 from a register. After further investigation, detectives recovered the parrots at the defendant's house on Mott Street, near the shopping center.
"These parrots were found in a rear shed at the subject's home," Azatta said.
"[After] the first burglary, the police found that the back door was torn open from the bottom," said Greg Robinson, manager of Petland Discount.
Robinson told the Herald that Combs came into the pet store regularly to either browse or buy merchandise. "I knew him, and he always seemed to be a relatively nice guy," Robinson said. "But, obviously, he wasn't as nice a guy as we thought he was."
Petland policy requires the store to take the stolen birds back to a corporate warehouse, which in turn sends them to a veterinarian to make sure no harm had been done to them.
"In this case, the person who stole the birds removed their identifying leg bands that must be replaced by a vet," Robinson said. "I was the person who did the recovery, and they all seemed to be fine."
Combs was charged with two counts of third-degree burglary and resisting arrest. While arresting him, officer Paul suffered injuries to his leg and hand, and was treated at South Nassau Communities Hospital and released.
