(October 2017) Louisiana: Animal theft arrest leads to investigation of dogs at Sun Yong Swetz's home

LOUISIANA -- A Caddo Parish woman is accused of stealing a neighbor's dog.

Her arrest prompted an investigation into whether she may have stolen others and then into the condition of other dogs found at her home.

Caddo animal control officers could be seen taking photographs through garage windows Thursday morning at a home in the 5400 block of Pine Hill Road as dozens of barks rang out from beneath the door.

Caddo sheriff's deputies arrested the owner of that home, 65-year-old Sun Yong Swetz, on Wednesday morning.

She remains in Caddo Correctional Center, where she was booked at 10:55 a.m. Wednesday on one count of theft of animals.

Kelvin Samuel, interim director of Caddo Parish Animal Services and Mosquito Control, confirmed that the dog that was the subject of a complaint has been returned to its family.

Now authorities are investigating the condition of an untold number of dogs still caged or roaming in Swetz's home, he said.

Those dogs all belong to Swetz, Samuel confirmed, and now will be monitored by animal control officers to ensure they're still healthy.

Jeanne Smith, who has lived next door to Swetz for a decade, said this is not the first time Swetz allegedly has taken someone else's dog.

"She's actually taken two of my dogs in the past," Smith alleged. "She thought that I was mistreating my animal because I put it out on a chain."

"I don't have a fenced yard. And during the day, I'll bring him out and let him out on a rope with food and water and shelter," she continued. "They're well taken care of.

"And she's called the police on me before and, after the police didn't do anything, then she proceeded to take the dog herself."

Despite her actions, Smith said, Swetz has a good heart, is a breast cancer survivor and takes good care of her dogs.

"She's here from another country. Her husband left her here. She's alone. What she has is her dogs and she loves her dogs," Smith said.

"She has a good heart, but her mind isn't always right in the way that she goes after things."

According to Caddo Parish inmate records, Swetz remains jailed at Caddo Correctional Center with a $2,500 bond.

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Sun Yong Swetz
Alias: Yong Sun Swetz
City: Shreveport, Louisiana 71107
Gender: Female
Race: Asian
Height: 5'06"
Weight: 130 lbs

Birthdate: 05/10/1952

Arrest Age: 65
Date: 10/11/2017
Time: 10:55 AM

Location: Caddo Parish, Louisiana

Charge:
#1 THEFT OF ANIMALS

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(KSLA - Oct 12, 2017)