Animal control officer busted for swiping Chihuahua from elderly nun

FLORIDA -- Lori Michelle Holland, 41, of Winter Haven, an animal control officer had given her 1-year-old Chihuahua, MoJo, to an acquaintance, who then gave to dog to an 82-year-old nun who lived alone in Winter Haven and who had been recovering from triple-bypass plus recent hip surgery, according to an arrest affidavit from the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

The nun and the pup bonded immediately.

Then, three days later, Holland reportedly showed up at the nun's house under the ruse of bringing Mojo another larger sweater and a collar.

But when Holland showed up at the nun's home she didn't have any doggie duds or collar. Once inside, Holland told the nun she was "there to take MoJo with me," according to the report.

Over the next 30-minutes the two women argued. The nun called Holland "a cheat, a liar and a crook," the report stated.

Then the two women got their MoJo working and got into a tug-of-war over the dog, pulling the dog back-and-forth, until the nun, fearing the dog could get hurt and concerned about her own health issues, let Holland take the pooch, according to the release.

Lori Michelle Holland

Deputies arrested the former PCSO Animal Control Officer on Friday and charged her with one count Robbery and one count Burglary.

Holland resigned from her animal control officer position upon her arrest. However, she would have been immediately suspended pending termination had she not resigned, according to the Sheriff's Office.

(Sun Sentinel - January 6, 2013)