Dog Stolen From Outside San Francisco Grocery Store Found In SoCal, Returned To Owner
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Police in San Francisco confirmed that a happy pet owner and her stolen dog Jackson were reunited early Tuesday morning, over four months after the dog was taken from in front of a Bernal Heights grocery store.
Police said the case started on December 14 of last year at around 9:12 a.m. when officers from the Ingleside Station were called to the 400 block of Cortland Avenue following the theft of Jackson, a five-year-old a black, white and gray mini Australian Shepherd with blue eyes.
The victim, a 31-year-old San Francisco resident, told police she had left Jackson tied to a bench near the grocery story entrance while she shopped when an unknown suspect stole him. Over the next four months, police executed several search warrants, examined surveillance video from the area of the crime and pursued potential leads.
A crucial turning point in the investigation happened when the dog was spotted by community members Los Angeles County. The incident details were provided to local law enforcement, which facilitated key leads in identifying the suspect responsible for stealing Jackson.
An arrest warrant for grand theft was issued. Last Friday, 27-year-old Palmdale resident Nicholas Bravo was arrested for felony grand theft. The suspect was already in custody at San Joaquin County Jail on unrelated charges. Bravo was cited to appear in San Francisco Superior Court this summer.
On Monday, the lead San Francisco police investigator was notified that Jackson had been turned in to Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control in Palmdale. Jackson was retrieved from the shelter by a close family friend of the victim and taken to Santa Monica, where he was recovered by SFPD and driven back to San Francisco.
Early Tuesday morning, Jackson finally had a happy reunion with his owner one week after his sixth birthday.
