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St. Paul woman hopes for safe return of stolen dog
A St. Paul woman is hoping for the safe return of her dog who was stolen after they were out on a walk.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Charges have been filed after a St. Paul woman’s French bulldog mix was stolen while they were out on a walk.
The dog, Clementine, was stolen on April 26 and reunited with her owner two days later. Charges filed against a 19-year-old woman on Tuesday share details of the dog theft.
According to court records, Clementine’s owner went to a nearby gas station to get ice cream and on their way home, she noticed two people walking directly behind them. The owner crossed the street, and the men followed as she got to her front steps.
The men struck up a conversation about Clementine, then tried to steal the 7-year-old French bulldog Boston terrier mix. As the woman screamed, charges allege one of the men pushed her down, and the other grabbed the dog and fled.
The criminal complaint states surveillance video captured the dognappers in the area wearing masks, and a maroon SUV picked them up nearby.
The woman told police her dog was anxious and needed medication for health issues, and she would get very sick without it. The owner began posting flyers around the city for Clementine and received a call from a man who believed he had seen the dog at a house on the 500 block of Selby Avenue.
The man told authorities someone asked if he was interested in buying a French Bulldog for $700 and had seen an older dog without a collar who appeared lethargic. He went to a nearby store after seeing the dog and found the missing poster for Clementine. The man said he was 100% certain it was Clementine.
Police executed a search warrant at the home and found a dog on the couch. After scanning the dog's microchip, authorities confirmed it was Clementine, and she was reunited with her owner.
Charges said the maroon SUV captured on surveillance video belonged to the mother of 19-year-old Lonnie Ray Jenkins. Law enforcement said cell phone data showed her phone was in the area when the dog was taken, and then returned to the address on Selby Avenue immediately after.
Jenkins was charged via warrant with one count of first-degree aggravated robbery. Police said she is also wanted in other aggravated robberies in Minneapolis, the complaint alleges.