SPPD catches alleged rare tortoise, book thief
May 17, 2023 - St. Petersburg Police arrested Joshua McCarty-Thomas Tuesday after a search warrant uncovered two rare tortoises - one alive in his yard and one dead in a freezer. Microchips confirmed the endangered juvenile Galapagos Tortoises, which can reach 600 pounds and live 150 years, were stolen from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park in November 2022. Police also allege that McCarty-Thomas stole thousands of dollars worth of rare books from St. Petersburg’s Haslam’s Book Store and Lighthouse Books.