A stolen Australian Labradoodle puppy is back home after Pierce County deputies tracked down a suspect and recovered the dog following a weeklong investigation.
On Sept. 9 around 10 p.m., a deputy was dispatched to take a stolen dog report from a victim in the Bonney Lake area. The victim operates a licensed, family-owned business breeding Australian Labradoodles and had posted an available adoption for one of her puppies.
A man reached out to arrange the purchase of the puppy, but when he met the owner, he took the puppy, named Sherbert, and drove off in his car without providing any payment. The victim made several attempts to reach the suspect, but it was later learned that fake information had been provided.
“The address was fake, the names were fake, there wasn’t anything real to go off of,” Pierce County Deputy Carly Cappetto said.
Investigators had a solid starting point: there were good photos of the suspect and his clothing, along with images of his vehicle.
Suspect arrested in Puyallup, stolen puppy recovered
On Sept. 16, the investigation led deputies to an apartment complex on Pioneer Way East in Puyallup, where they located the suspect vehicle parked and unoccupied. Deputies obtained a search warrant and made contact with the suspect.
The 35-year-old man was arrested for felony theft in the second degree and felony possession of stolen property in the second degree. In the bedroom where the suspect was arrested, deputies found the same clothing the suspect was seen wearing when the puppy was stolen.
The puppy, Sherbert, was safely recovered and returned to the victim.
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