Akron men steal couple's dog, demand ransom

AKRON, OH (WOIO) -

Two Akron men slapped with charges after stealing a couple's dog and demanding ransom.

Around 7PM Friday night, a resident in the 300 block of Upland Avenue reported his dog, a Dalmatian/Pit bull mix, missing. The resident stated the dog was missing from his back yard between Tuesday night and Friday night. The victim's wife put up fliers throughout the neighborhood.

On Friday night between 5PM-9PM, the victim started receiving harassing phone calls about the missing dog. The caller demanded $500 for the dog to be returned to the victim. The owners offered $40 for the dog to be returned. After the suspect refused the $40, he called the police.

A team of officers, including undercover officers, followed up on the phone calls and made arrangements to meet the suspect(s) at Emerling Park with the money. As officers were waiting in a vehicle at Emerling Park, three men approached the vehicle. Officers jumped out and arrested one man right away, then after a brief foot chase, the other two men were apprehended.

The missing dog was located in the 1400 block of Andrus Street and returned to the owners. Read More