An Adair County couple was arrested for allegedly stealing a dog yesterday.
According to Adair County Sheriff Josh Brockman, 26-year-old Jainkidza Debarge and 32-year-old Ann Martinez Debarge, both formerly of Michigan, were arrested in connection with the theft.
Jainkidza faces charges of theft by unlawful taking more than $500 but less than $10,000 and fleeing or evading police second degree.
Ann Martinez Debarge faces a charge of theft by unlawful taking more than $500 but less than $10,000.
According to law enforcement, the sheriff’s office began an investigation after someone called in a report of a missing dog on Waterworks Street in Columbia. The dog’s owner said they believed the dog was stolen and didn’t run away.
Brockman said the investigation turned up evidence to suggest the dog had been stolen as well.
Officers were able to locate the stolen dog, an Aussiedoodle, in an apartment off Russell Road in Adair County.
While securing the dog and loading it into the sheriff’s cruiser, a suspect took off and a foot pursuit ensued.
The suspect was caught near Jamestown Street in the parking lot of the Kentucky Department of Family Services, and taken into custody by Brockman and Columbia Police Officer Josh Durbin.
The dog was safely returned to its owner and both suspects were lodged in the Adair County Regional Jail Tuesday evening.
