AUSTELL — An Austell man got his Cockapoo back Thursday night after police said someone took the dog from his vehicle while he paid for gas. Police said Moxie was found safe.
What happened: The owner left Moxie in his vehicle while he went inside the BP gas station on Austell Powder Springs Road. The owner later reported the dog stolen, according to the Austell Police Department.
Police reviewed video from the gas station. Officers said the video showed a passenger get out of a silver Honda Odyssey, take Moxie from the owner’s vehicle and leave in the Honda.
The department did not say how long the owner was inside the store or how much time passed before he reported the theft.
How officers tracked the van: Police used the department’s FLOCK camera system and other investigative tools to track the Honda. Investigators learned the minivan was a rental vehicle.
Information about the van’s movements led officers to a nearby address.
At the address: Officers from the department’s Team 4 surrounded the property and made announcements asking those there to come out. After a short time, officers took two suspects into custody without any reported problems.
Police said they believe both suspects took part in the theft.
The recovery: Officers found Moxie at the end of the search and returned him to his owner. Police said the dog was safe.
B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
