"He smelled like beer and had been wet; his feet were damaged and his whole tail plump had been ripped out," Patti Williams, the school's agriculture teacher, told the Orange County Register. "He was pretty stressed."
A post on the Facebook page for the Respect Orange community group said a resident was awakened early Sunday morning by Tim the Turkey in the backyard of a neighboring home.
Williams said in a Facebook post that Tim was found outside a Chapman "party house."
The teacher said Tim will be examined by a veterinarian.
Brenton and Melbye were arrested in connection with the theft and animal cruelty investigation.
Chapman University confirmed the arrests in a statement provided to KNBC-TV:
"The University will also undertake the appropriate disciplinary actions according to our Student Conduct Code. Due to federal student privacy laws (FERPA), the University cannot identify the students or reveal details of the institution's disciplinary actions -- however, the University will not tolerate any instances of theft, animal abuse or cruelty, is appalled by this behavior, and takes this issue extremely seriously. The incident was swiftly investigated by both Chapman Public Safety and Orange Police Department, and Chapman thanks them for their invaluable assistance in this matter."
