OXFORD — Lt. Michael Ward said police have issued a court summons to Julie Rogers of Bowdoin, charging her with theft in the abduction of a cockapoo puppy from Mainely Puppies on Route 26 in Oxford on Saturday.
Rogers, 44, will be arraigned in Oxford County Superior Court in Paris on March 10, Ward said.
Police located the 8-week-old puppy — valued at $750 — at Rogers’ home in Bowdoin on Monday after news reports and social media shared a video of the abduction from a surveillance camera inside the store. The video, which showed a woman removing the puppy from its cage and stuffing it into her coat, generated multiple tips, leading police to the Bowdoin residence.
“We received several tips — a ton of tips,” Ward said. “It was great that the public gets involved, especially in these times. It makes it much easier for us to solve crimes quicker.”
Ward said Rogers was not home at the time when police retrieved the cocker spaniel/poodle mix and brought it back to Mainely Puppies at about 4:30 p.m.
“We spent a little bit of time tracking down her and the dog yesterday, but we got them both,” he said.
With the help of the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office and the Bath Police Department, they located Rogers at a residence in Bath at about 7:30 p.m. Monday.
“We appreciate their assistance,” Ward said of the help his officers received finding the dog and the suspect.
Steven Mason, owner of Mainely Puppies, had offered a $200 reward for information leading to the puppy’s safe return on his store’s Facebook page Monday. By that evening, the pup was featured on its Facebook page with a status update simply stating, “I’m home!”
mjerkins@sunmediagroup.net
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