LOS ANGELES, Kalifornia - August 22, 2011 - 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.
"Most of those were multiple - 10- 30 birds at once," said Schmitt. "Now it's becoming extraordinarily dangerous."
In July, a Southwest Airlines flight was diverted to Ontario after it flew into 20-30 pigeons during takeoff. "A pigeon is not a problem, but a flock - that's a problem," said Schmitt.
Douglas' arrest was the culmination of months of legal wrangling to stop the feeding.
In December 2010 and again in February, he was found guilty of feeding pigeons so as to create a nuisance, court documents show.
On July 31, Douglas was again cited for feeding pigeons, Schmitt said.
The arrest warrant was issued August 11.
