Hobart Police Seek Info On Arson / Puppy Thief Suspect
On October 26, 2021 at approximately 4:30 PM, Hobart Police responded to a pet store located on the 1700 block of East 83rd Avenue in reference to an arson and a theft of a dog, according to Commander James Gonzales.
Officers arrived on scene and spoke to an employee who was working at the time the arson and the theft occurred. The employee told the Officers on scene she came to the front of the store from the back room and noticed smoke inside of the store and she noticed a fire inside a cubicle. She stated the cubicle is an area where they allow customers to interact with the pets. She stated she yelled out to other employees about the fire and another employee grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire.
Officers also spoke to a witness who was inside of the store at the time of the arson and theft. The witness told Officers she saw the subject shown in surveillance images flee the store with the dog, furthermore she stated she saw the suspect enter into a 4-door gray colored vehicle with an Illinois license plate, which was missing the front drivers side hubcap and the front bumper.
Upon viewing the surveillance video, the suspect shown in the surveillance photos enters the cubicle and is shown playing with the puppy, the suspect is shown holding a plastic water style bottle that contained a clear liquid. The suspect pours the liquid on the floor of the cubicle and then ignites the flammable liquid and he exits the cubicle with the puppy and leaves the store.
The dog stolen is a black colored French Bulldog/ Beagle mix.
The suspect’s hat has a distinct emblem on the front of the hat, which is shown in the surveillance image that could assist with identifying the suspect.
Anyone with information on the identity of the suspect please contact Sergeant Robert Brazil at 219-942-4666 or by e-mail at rbrazil@cityofhobart.org.
