Deputies arrest man for allegedly throwing rocks at bird in San Bernardino Mountains

San Bernardino County deputies arrested a 36-year-old man on Tuesday after Lake Gregory residents accused him of killing a beloved bird.

Witnesses recorded the man allegedly throwing rocks at the white egret as it sat on the neighborhood's dock. Neighbors asked the suspect to stop throwing rocks at the bird. However, they said things only escalated as he attacked the bird as it got closer to him. 

"It's just made me absolutely sick to my stomach," resident Shyann Swisher said in early November. "This bird was a part of our community, his name was Arthur."

The video circulated in Swisher's neighborhood helped investigators track the suspect to his Claremont home. There, detectives contacted Jeremey Jansen and confirmed that he was the person seen in the video, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. 

Deputies arrested and booked Jansen for animal cruelty and for violating the Fish and Game Code. 

"It's cruel. What's the next step to that cruelty," Swisher said in early November. "I think an example needs to be made out of him."

Investigators urged anyone with information on the case to contact Deputy Ian Buchowiecki or Deputy Omar Romero-Rios at (909) 336-0600.

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call the We-Tip Hotline at 1(800) 782-7463 or leave a message on their website.