Caught On Tape: Couple Steal Chow Puppy From Stanton Pet Store
STANTON (CBS) — Orange County sheriff's investigators released surveillance video Friday of a man and woman who stole a chow puppy from a Stanton pet store.
The suspects took the canine -- valued at $600 -- from the Pet City store at 7041 Katella Ave. about 4 p.m., Tuesday, according to Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
The man is seen on the video jiggling the locks on dog cages to see if any are open. He then called a store employee, feigning interest in buying one of the animals, so the woman would have a chance to snatch one of the puppies, Amormino said.
The employee took the man to the back of the store, where there's a playroom so customers can frolic with the puppies to see if they bond, Amormino said.
The woman, meanwhile, was able to steal one of the puppies because her partner managed to undo the lock, Amormino said.
The store has been victimized two other times since 2009, but in both instances, the thieves returned the stolen canines because sheriff's investigators released similar surveillance video via the media, Amormino said.
He described the video in this case as "very clear," and encouraged the suspects to turn themselves in.
Anyone with information about their identities or whereabouts was asked to call (855) TIP-OCCS.
(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
