'Good humans still exist': Bearded dragon stolen in Augusta carjacking returned to owner

Alexandra Koch, Augusta Chronicle
·2 min read
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More than 25 days after an Augusta woman was carjacked with her bearded dragon, "Lenny," inside her vehicle, the pair were reunited with help from the community.

Lauren Dozier was held at gunpoint in an Aug. 17 armed robbery at the Dollar General on Washington Road, according to previous reporting. About 24 hours after the suspect stole her car, it was found abandoned near Lake Olmstead – but Lenny was no where to be found.

After spending almost a month scouring the nearby area and pet sale websites, Dozier was losing hope of finding her beloved pet.

However, lifeguards at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Augusta on Monday noticed an unusual visitor matching Lenny's description.

Lenny, 6, was stolen from his owner, Lauren Dozier, during an armed carjacking in Augusta.
Lenny, 6, was stolen from his owner, Lauren Dozier, during an armed carjacking in Augusta.

Dawn Stribling, Kroc Center office administrator, said everyone at the facility knew of Lenny's story from the news, but didn't connect the dots until Lenny reappeared Tuesday morning trying to enter the fitness area.

"One of our supervisors breeds reptiles so he went out, picked him up and brought him in," Stribling said. "When I saw him, it hit me about the car theft and I was like, 'There's no way that could be him.'"

She reached out to one of Dozier's friends via Facebook and shared pictures of the dragon she found.

"[The friend] said, 'I know that's him. I've known him forever,'" Stribling said. "Lauren was unable to leave work to look at the dragon, so her friend came over and instantly [Lenny]'s head went crazy. He actually recognized her voice."

When Dozier got home from work, Lenny was there to greet her.

Lenny, who was stolen from his owner, Lauren Dozier, during an armed carjacking in Augusta, cuddles with a cat.
Lenny, who was stolen from his owner, Lauren Dozier, during an armed carjacking in Augusta, cuddles with a cat.

"It was just so awesome to have him here," Stribling said. "People who would have been hesitant to touch him just kind of fell in love with him. He has a really sweet disposition."

Even though Dozier was offering a cash reward for Lenny's safe return, she said Stribling declined. She said she will be making a donation to the Kroc Center in honor of Lenny.

"Good humans still exist," Dozier said on Wednesday. "This morning he's acting like his normal self eating crickets and chilling."

Car hijacking suspect on the loose: 'My little sidekick': Woman searching for bearded dragon after armed carjacking in Augusta

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Bearded dragon stolen in carjacking returned to owner a month later