Rebecca Cozzi Charged in Bird Napping after Stolen Birds Recovered

Wheaton, Ill. - Exotic birds worth more than $5,000 that were stolen earlier this week from west suburban pet shops have been recovered, and three people have been charged in connection with the thefts.

Rebecca F. Cozzi, 40, of Berwyn, has been charged with retail theft, according to Bolingbook police.

Erik Zalkus, 31, and Viviana Rossi, 28, both of 3700 Gunderson Ave. in Berwyn, are also charged with retail theft, according to a release from Naperville police.

Charges are pending Thursday against a fourth suspect, a 27-year-old Downers Grove man.

Police from Naperville, Berwyn and Bolingbrook recovered all of the birds reported missing during a search of the Gunderson Avenue home, the release said. They also found other animals believed to have been stolen from pet stores, including four sugar gliders (small mammals), according to police.

All the pets were in good heath and were safely returned to their owners, Naperville police said.

Authorities say animals were taken from pet stores in Bolingbrook, Batavia and Naperville in a series of thefts Monday and Tuesday.

The four suspects were originally questioned after a manager at the Petland store in Wheaton saw them enter and recognized them from surveillance footage from a theft at another store.

Sara Marshinski said she saw the four walk into the store around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday -- a day after the thefts in Naperville and Batavia, and after word of the thefts had spread through the pet community.

The first known theft happened about 9 p.m. Monday at Petland-Aquarium Adventure at 744 E. Boughton Rd. in, Bolingbrook, according to Lt. Mike Rompa of the Bolingbrook police. The store's owners didn't realize a bird was missing until they were notified by the Naperville Petland of a theft at that store on Tuesday.

In the Bolingbrook theft, video surveillance showed a woman removing a blue quaker parrot, valued at $500, from a petting cage and placing it inside her purse, Rompa said. Police believe the woman had two lookout men with her.

Yet another theft happened sometime between 5 and 6 p.m. Tuesday at Bird is The Word at 30 S. Shumway Ave. in Batavia, according to Batavia Police Det. Kevin Bretz.

The owner of the shop said two men and two women entered the shop, and while two of them distracted the owner, the others took a white belly caique and a green cheek conures, with a combined value of $1,650.

Bretz said in the past people have stolen and then tried to sell birds to breeders or collectors, which was likely the motive this time.

A young male rose breasted cockatoo was stolen from a Petland in Naperville, according to a release from the store. At about 8:20 p.m. Tuesday, two men and two women entered the store and took the bird, named Joey, out of its enclosure and escaped, putting Joey in one of the women's purses.

The store captured the four on video surveillance and contacted police and helpmefindmypet.com, an alert service for lost or stolen pets, the release said.

Joey is valued at about $3,300.