ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH (Missouri) 29 February 08 Man could get as much as 7 years in prison in turtle theft (William C. Lhotka)

Bridgeton: The twists and turns continued in the adventures of Natasha the tortoise.

The beloved, not-so-fleet-of-foot resident of Bridgeton Animal Hospital was reported missing on Jan. 17. At the time, her disappearance was a mystery. She couldn't have gone far, the staff speculated, but she couldn't be found anywhere near the animal clinic either.

"There were only so many places a turtle could be," said Pierre Tung, a veterinarian at the clinic on McKelvey Road.

Several hours later, Natasha was back home, reunited with her pen-mate, a fella that, not so surprisingly, goes by the name of Boris.

But Natasha's safe return wasn't the end of the tale. This week, the missing-turtle case officially became a criminal matter. Kevin A. Spies, 29, of Bridgeton was charged with theft. Police said Natasha was found at his residence in the 4100 block of Fuller Lane.

Because Natasha, a red-footed turtle common in South America, is of breeding age, her value is higher than one might expect. As a result, Spies faces a felony count of stealing over $500, a charge that carries a penalty range of probation to seven years in prison. He could not be reached Thursday for comment.

On the day Natasha was found, Spies told police that he took the tortoise from the animal hospital, said Jeff King, the police officer who found the 5- to- 6 pound tortoise. Spies had taken his dog to the animal hospital that morning to have it euthanized because it suffered from terminal cancer.

"I guess he was exchanging one pet for another," King said.

Tung recalled getting a call from an assistant who told him that Natasha had somehow disappeared. Boris was still there, but not his partner.

Often, when there are no patients, the two tortoises are taken out of their pen and allowed to stroll around the clinic, Tung said. So initially, the staff thought they could find her.

But after they failed to locate the tortoise, Tung reluctantly called police. "Surely, I thought, no one would take a turtle," Tung said.

In the end, according to police, someone did.
Man could get as much as 7 years in prison in turtle theft

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• MO Press: 7 Years for Tortoise Theft? - W von Papineäu, Sun Mar 2 07:53:48 2008