'Horrible' dognapping features tail-wagging end
Nov. 3—For Bakersfield resident Linda Jost, it was a crime unlike any other.
The sheer audacity and terror sparked by such actions devastated Jost as her beloved decadelong companion, LaBella the French bulldog, was dognapped in broad daylight right under Jost's nose.
"It didn't dawn on me that anybody would do such a horrible crime," Jost said in a Wednesday phone interview.
LaBella isn't just any average dog — she's graced screens of a Hallmark movie and was interviewed by Jay Leno. Her soothing presence has helped Jost as a homeopathic practitioner and she currently acts as a service dog for Jost.
But this tale doesn't have a baleful ending.
Bakersfield Police Department detectives ultimately found LaBella and returned her unharmed to Jost.
However, police haven't leashed a suspect. BPD Sgt. Robert Pair, spokesman for the department, said Wednesday their investigation is still ongoing. A search warrant filed in Kern County Superior Court sheds light on some of the details of LaBella's disappearance.
"It's just like taking a baby," Jost said when describing the crime.
The investigation
Jost walks her dogs every morning at River Front Park near her neighborhood in southwest Bakersfield.
Except she didn't do that Oct. 19. Jost said she decided to take her dogs for a stroll in a residential area.
LaBella, in her elderly age, often lumbers behind Jost and her 11-month-old dog Zoe, she said.
That's when it happened.
Jost said a man crept up behind her, unclipped LaBella from her leash and ran away with her precious companion. All these actions unfolded before Jost had realized what happened, she added.
She turned around to see the man fleeing with LaBella tucked under his arm.
"When he got her, he ran like the devil," Jost noted.
"I was frozen, I was just screaming my head off and crying," Jost later added.
BPD officers quickly responded to her house and began their investigation, she said.
"When he took her, I thought, 'I'll never get her back again,'" Jost said.
According to a search warrant filed in court, police officers searched Riverfront Park Drive and Amber Park Avenue for surveillance videos. They acquired footage of a person arriving in the area and then running back with the dog, the search warrant added.
Officers sifted through the footage and noticed unique details about the suspect's vehicle, such as a different rear passenger-side rim, the search warrant said. They found a vehicle belonging to two people — a man and woman — that matched the description, the search warrant noted.
The man's descriptive details matched Jost's description, according to the search warrant. Jost identified police's suspect in a photo lineup, but "appeared unsure," police wrote in the search warrant.
The Californian is not naming the suspect because he hasn't been arrested.
Police called the man identified by Jost, who said he didn't know about the dog and had left for Los Angeles prior to the dognapping, the search warrant stated.
The suspect said he didn't take the car registered to him, and it could have been his friend. Officers attempted to call this man again to find out information about this friend but their messages went unanswered, the search warrant added.
Eventually, the suspect's mother got LaBella from her son and gave the dog to police officers, the search warrant noted.
Jost was having a meal at Seven Oaks Country Club when she got a call from police saying they may have retrieved LaBella.
"I was screaming at the top of my lungs and everybody was eating dinner," Jost said as she recalled her reaction.
Sleepless nights hounded Jost and she scarcely ate while LaBella was gone. But that all changed when she got a call from police about her daughter with four legs.
"It's been heavenly," Jost said of having LaBella back in her life. "I can't even describe (it).
LaBella hardly barks and accompanies Jost wherever she goes — whether around the house, the grocery store or outside Bakersfield.
The Frenchie's fame has been widespread. Leno interviewed Jost and LaBella on his show about her calming capabilities when aiding Jost in her work. The inseparable duo flew to Dallas so LaBella could be photographed for a Neiman Marcus catalog.
A Hallmark movie directed by Joey Travolta named "Carol of the Bells" features LaBella and Jost sitting at Bakersfield's Woolworths counter. Every scene in that film was shot in Bakersfield.
"She's never done anything wrong," Jost said. "She's just a perfect dog — more than I could even ever ask for."
Police said identifying details of the suspect include a Hispanic man, about 5 foot, 7 inches with a medium build. He was last seen wearing a dark T-shirt and blue jeans.
Anyone with information about this case can call police at 661-327-7111 or Detective Antonio Orozco at 661-852-7007.
Jost worries another person's dog could be taken, and is trying to help in the capture of the dognapping culprit.
"That's what (is) scary," Jost said of the potential for another dognapping.
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.
