Stolen tortoise returned to Colorado Springs pet shop, suspect arrested

A day after a resident tortoise at a community pet shop went missing, the Colorado Springs Police Department returned him safely home.

Howard the tortoise has lived at the Scales 'N Tails pet shop since 2011, but staff say he was snatched from his outdoor pen on June 17. The suspect then allegedly put the tortoise in a vehicle and drove away.

Detectives identified the suspect as 37-year-old Justin Edwards, who they located at a local hotel the following day. The officers took Edwards into custody.

However, Howard was not at the hotel. Through further investigation and interviews, the officers found Howard and safely returned him to the pet store.

In a social media post on Thursday, the shop said, "Howard is HOME!!! Huge thank you to the community and CSPD for their hand at bringing him back. The amount of love and support from our Colorado Springs community and beyond is overwhelming to fathom. This tortoise doesn't just belong to us, he belongs to the entire community who shared and relentlessly took time out of your days to like and share and communicate with each other and CSPD to bring him home."

The police department also thanked the community members who helped detectives find Howard, saying, "This case is a great example of what can happen when the community partners with law enforcement. Information shared by the pet store, witnesses, and members of the public through social media helped detectives develop the leads needed to bring Howard home safely."