EDGEWATER, Fla. (AP) -- A firefighter accused of biting the head off a pet parrot at a party was charged with felony animal cruelty Monday and placed on administrative leave.
Lt. Bruce Coates, 34, was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail but was expected be released on his own recognizance after meeting with court officials Tuesday, a jail official said.
Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said witnesses told deputies that the off-duty Coates was at a party early Sunday when he took the Quaker parrot, valued at $200, off someone else's shoulder, put the bird's head in his mouth and bit it off.
The parrot's owner later called the sheriff's office.
Coates told deputies he had been drinking alcohol and could not remember what happened. However, he was apologetic and offered to replace the parrot, Davidson told The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Edgewater Fire Chief Tracey Barlow said Coates, with the department since 1991, came to him Sunday and told him about the incident.
He will stay on leave with pay pending the outcome of the investigation, Edgewater fire spokeswoman Jennifer Smith said.
Information from: The Daytona Beach News-Journal
