19 French bulldogs worth $100,000 were taken during home burglary, Florida police say
Nineteen French bulldogs — many of them puppies — were taken from a Florida home by burglars with an ambitious plan to sell them, according to the Port St. Lucie Police Department.
It’s estimated the dogs have a collective value of more than $100,000, police said in a news release.
The theft occurred Nov. 4, when police said burglars shattered a window and entered a residence in the 1000 block of SW Fenway Road.
Three suspects, all teenagers, have since been arrested, with a fourth person still being sought, police said in a Nov. 17 update. Six dogs had been recovered as of Nov. 16.
Two of the suspects, ages 18 and 19, were taken into custody after a SWAT team searched their home in Port St. Lucie, officials said.
“Five of the stolen French bulldog puppies were recovered inside the home and a sixth stolen French bulldog was recovered in Indiantown that the suspects had already sold,” police said.
The teenagers were charged with “grand theft and dealing in stolen property,” police said. The 19-year-old man has also been charged in connection with an unrelated Aug. 17 purse snatching involving a 77-year-old woman, police said.
“Two additional suspects ... were identified after detectives along with the Stuart Police Department executed a search warrant at (their) residence ... in Stuart,” police said.
An 18-year-old was arrested at the home and charged with “burglary, grand theft, dealing in stolen property, and tampering with evidence,” police said.
A 20-year-old remains at large and is considered an “accessory after the fact,” officials said.
“Detectives continue to investigate this incident as there are 13 remaining stolen French bulldogs still at large,” police said. “The six recovered bulldogs have been reunited with their owner.”
Port St. Lucie is about 110 miles north of Miami.
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