On Thursday, Royston Police, in conjunction with Lavonia Police Investigators and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office arrested two people in connection with the burglary at the Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter.
According to Shelter Director Sheri Lockhart, shelter workers discovered the puppies missing early Wednesday.
“We came into work this morning and found two of our puppies standing on the sidewalk outside where they shouldn’t have been. They should have been inside our adoption center. We went inside and discovered we had four puppies missing from our adoption building,” Lockhart said Wednesday.
The puppies were recovered after a woman in Royston saw the notices posted on Facebook that they had been stolen.
Thursday morning, Lavonia Police Chief Bruce Carlisle said the woman turned the puppies in to Royston Police.
“A lady unknowingly purchased the puppies before she found out they had been stolen,” Carlisle said. “Once she learned through social media that the puppies were stolen, she didn’t want any part of receiving stolen property so she turned them into Royston Police Department.”
Carlisle said that woman has not been charged and has cooperated with authorities.
He went on to say that by Thursday afternoon two people had been arrested after that woman gave police the names of the couple who sold her the dogs.
The suspects are identified as 20-year old Katie Walker of Royston and 21-year old Teven Roebuck of Royston.
Carlisle said both have admitted to breaking into the shelter and stealing the puppies.
Lockhart was able to retrieve the puppies Thursday morning.
She said she is relieved the puppies were found safe.
Two people who had already pre-adopted two of the puppies were at the shelter Thursday to pick up their new puppies.
Lockhart said the animal shelter will be installing a security system and surveillance cameras to prevent this type of thing from happening again.
Meanwhile, Franklin County Sheriff Stevie Thomas said that Walker and Roebuck are also charged with allegedly breaking into the home of a Dachshund breeder just outside of Royston Wednesday night and stealing more dogs.
Thomas said the pair entered a kennel area and allegedly took four three-week old Dachshund puppies valued at $2,500.
According to Thomas, the puppies were also found at Walker’s home at the same time the stolen puppies from the animal shelter were found.
Walker and Roebuck are charged in Franklin County with two counts of burglary in the second degree.
They remain in the Franklin County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing.
(WNEG Radio - April 24, 2015)
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