Burbank businessman arrested over feeding of birds near airport

[Liberal_in_LA]

Burbank businessman arrested over feeding of birds near airport
Officials worry that hundreds of pigeons flocking near Bob Hope Airport could pose a danger to aircraft.

For nearly a year, officials have been trying to figure out what to do with Charles Douglas.

The 59-year-old owner of Precise Roofing Co. in Burbank has been feeding flocks of pigeons since at least September 2010, officials say, which — beyond violating municipal code — has created a major safety hazard for jet airplanes using the nearby Bob Hope Airport as the birds' numbers have grown into the hundreds.

On Friday, after two court citations and a bench warrant for feeding the pigeons, Burbank police arrested Douglas at his business on Hollywood Way and Tulare Avenue.

Airport police Cmdr. Allen Schmitt said a plane strikes a bird at the airport once every two months on average. But the rate of strikes has increased recently, with five incidents in July alone, he added.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bob-hope-pigeons-20110822,0,1666029.story