Man Walking Oddly Found to Have 21 Live Pigeons in Pants

BALTIMORE — A police officer stopped a man who was walking oddly down the street with bulging pants and found that he had 21 live homing pigeons stuffed in his clothes.

Thomas Waddell, 25, was charged Tuesday with stealing 30 homing pigeons, valued at $300, from a neighbor, John Styron. Waddell was also charged with stealing 40 homing pigeons worth $2,400 late Monday from William Allen of Baltimore.

“He looked like the Michelin tire ad,” said Officer Ronald Pettie, who stopped Waddell. Pettie said that, as he approached the suspect, Waddell was stuffing a pigeon down his pants.

After he was arrested, Waddell began shaking and pulling pigeons from inside his pants, Pettie said. In all, he pulled out 21 live pigeons and five dead ones.