A 19-year-old man has received a prison term of nearly 3½ years for stealing a pricey dog from a woman in St. Paul and then trying to sell her pet for a quick buck.
Nearly 3½-year sentence for man who stole pricey dog from woman as she walked her pet in St. Paul
Police found Clementine, also known as Tiny, three days after the theft and returned the dog to her owner.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 19, 2024 at 4:07PM
Lonnie Ray Jenkins, 19, of St. Paul was sentenced in Ramsey County District Court after pleading guilty to first-degree aggravated robbery in connection with the theft of the French bulldog-Boston terrier mix named Clementine on April 24 near the intersection of York Avenue and Arkwright Street.
With credit for time in jail after his arrest, Jenkins is expected to serve about 2¼ years of his term in prison and the balance on supervised release.
The criminal complaint referred to another male involved in the crime, but police have yet to announce an additional arrest.
According to the complaint:
The dog’s owner said she and Clementine, also affectionately called Tiny, were on their way to get ice cream late in the afternoon when two males started following her. She crossed the street out of concern for her safety, and the two males did the same. Once she got to her front steps, one male pushed her to the ground while the other grabbed Tiny and ran off.
The woman told police that Tiny is worth thousands of dollars and is embedded with an electronic identification chip. She feared that if Tiny didn’t get her medication, the dog would fall ill, she said.
Surveillance video showed two males walking in the area and wearing masks. Moments later an SUV picked up the males with Tiny.
A man later told police that he was asked by a male whether he wanted to buy a French bulldog for $700. The man went into the bottom unit of a residential building in the 500 block of Selby Avenue, and saw the dog appeared to be sick and lethargic.
The man left without buying the dog and went to a nearby store, where he saw a flyer about Tiny being missing and called the owner to report seeing her dog. Police searched the residential unit three days after the dog was nabbed and found Tiny alone on a living room couch.
A warrant was issued for Jenkins’ arrest, and he was taken into custody in mid-August.
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