Man caught on security video stealing French bulldog from Kendall Petland arrested
KENDALL — The suspect involved in the dognapping of a French bulldog at a Kendall pet shop last month has been arrested.
Court records show that Stedman Amaya, 36, was charged with third-degree theft.
According to the arrest affidavit and surveillance video previously obtained by CBS News Miami, Amaya entered the Petland at 8236 Mills Dr. on the night of May 15 and began to browse the aisles for about five minutes.
Amaya then entered the kennel maintenance area of the store, where he removed Botitas the French bulldog from the puppy's kennel and walked out of the store before fleeing the scene in a white Hyundai SUV. Amaya was dressed in all-black clothing, which mimicked the Petland employee uniform, police also noted.
Police said the dog is valued at nearly $13,000.
The following day, a store employee witness was able to identify Amaya from a photo lineup; however, he was not arrested until Thursday.
On Thursday night, police learned that Amaya was in police custody in reference to a robbery in Hialeah. According to the affidavit, Amaya invoked his Miranda rights and refused to speak with detectives. He was later charged and transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
According to court records obtained by CBS News Miami, Amaya was held in bond court Friday morning and had several other theft charges that included retail stores like Macy's and Dick's Sporting Goods. He is also held for a Nebia hearing on a $10,000 bond and has several stay-away orders that were issued by the stores he stole from.