Oceanside CA— On January 17, 2018 the Oceanside Police Department responded to the 3900 block of Shenandoah Drive to investigate a report of a 2-month-old stolen French bulldog, named “Sol”. The victim reported someone had broken the locked latch off the gate and pulled the fence apart and took Sol. The family had recently purchased Sol for $3500.00 just a few weeks prior. The family was devastated at the loss and their two daughter ages 7 and 10 have cried themselves to sleep since Sol disappeared.
The victim located Sol for sale on Craigslist for $1200.00. Sol is brindle/blue with blue eyes with unique white markings on his chest. The victim immediately recognized the puppy as Sol. The victim attempted to contact the seller on Craigslist, letting them know this was her daughter’s puppy and would pay a hefty price to get Sol back. The seller did not respond and immediately took the posting down from Craigslist.
Oceanside Police Detectives from the Property Crimes Unit were assigned the investigation. Attempts were made to contact the seller but there was no response. The suspect was located in an apartment complex in Escondido CA. The suspect initially denied any knowledge of Sol. After a short time of inconsistent statements the suspect changed his story. The suspect stated he found the puppy “on the side of the road”. He admitted he did not make any attempts to locate the owners or call the Humane Society or Police. The suspect told investigators he sold Sol to a person from Fontana CA.
Through additional investigative follow-ups, Detectives located the person in Fontana who purchased Sol. This person had turned around and resold Sol to a person in Hemet CA. Sol was eventually located in a nice house with a couple of full grown French bulldogs in Hemet. Detectives explained the circumstances to the dog lover. She was understandably upset but knew the right thing to do. She emotionally but gladly gave up Sol so he could be reunited with the original family. She has since been given another French bulldog puppy by the couple in Fontana to replace Sol. Sol and the detectives drove to where the original owners were anxiously awaiting his return. Sol had an exciting week of travel around Southern California but is now safe and snug with his two best friends.
This case will be forwarded to the District Attorney Office for review for a violation of PC 487e Grand Theft of a Dog over $950.00.