BOWDOIN, Maine — A Bowdoin woman was charged with misdemeanor theft on Monday after allegedly stealing a cockapoo puppy from an Oxford pet store on Saturday.
Julie Rogers, 44, walked into Mainely Puppies on Main Street in Oxford and stole the weeks-old cocker spaniel/poodle mix, Oxford police Lt. Mike Ward said Tuesday.
On Sunday, police released security videotape from the store that shows a woman taking the puppy from a cage and hiding it in her jacket before leaving the store.
Ward said police received several tips, one of which led them to Rogers.
On Sunday, Deputy Matt Shiers of the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office accompanied Oxford police officers to Rogers’ Bowdoin home. She was not home, Ward said, but another resident of the home gave them the puppy.
Rogers was charged Monday with a Class D misdemeanor, which is based on the $750 value of the dog.
Ward said he’s not aware of any other puppy thefts in Oxford and has no idea what prompted this one.
“It’s not a normal thing — but you never know nowadays,” he said.
The puppy was uninjured and was returned to the pet store on Monday.