A teenage suspect is currently being held by law enforcement in Antigua following a brazen theft of nearly 50 laying chickens from a well-known secondary school in the capital city of St. John’s. The incident, which unfolded over a 26-hour window between July 16 and 17, has raised questions about security at public educational facilities across the island.
According to initial police reports, the school’s agricultural department locked up its plywood and galvanized steel poultry coop at approximately 9 a.m. on July 16. When a staff member arrived to carry out routine feeding and checks just over 26 hours later, at 11:30 a.m. the next day, they found the coop’s gate unsecured and the entire flock of layer chickens missing.
Crime scene investigators who responded to the theft soon uncovered the thieves’ method of entry: perpetrators had forcibly pried loose a panel of plywood along the coop’s eastern wall, creating a gap large enough to remove all 48 birds. The stolen chickens have an estimated collective value of 2,880 Eastern Caribbean dollars, equal to roughly $1,067 USD, with each mature layer bird valued at 60 Eastern Caribbean dollars.
Acting on a tip from members of the public, police launched a search of properties in the residential Kentish Road area shortly after the theft was reported. During that search, officers recovered 28 live brown chickens, which were later positively identified as the school’s property by a school staff member. The recovered birds have since been returned to Antigua Grammar School, after forensic photographers documented evidence at the recovery site.
Following the recovery, law enforcement took an 18-year-old male resident of Kentish Road into custody for questioning in connection with the theft. As of the latest update, no formal charges have been filed against the suspect, and investigators are still working to locate the remaining 20 missing chickens. Forensic officers have completed processing of both the theft scene and recovery area, gathering evidence to build their case as the investigation continues.