Two arrested for alleged dog theft
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Melanie Bagley, 41, of Gans and Amanda Cleghorn, 20, of Booneville, Ark., were arrested Feb. 28 on charges of alleged cruelty to animals, larceny of domestic animals, knowingly concealing stolen property and conspiracy to commit a felony.
A mother and her nine Yorkshire terrier puppies were taken from their home and left in the cold wet woods according to Sequoyah County Deputy Greg Cox. The animals were outside for several hours before being found by a Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Deputy.
On Feb. 27 Wesley Dale Hollis, who breeds Yorkshire terrier puppies, and lives in Muldrow, received a phone call from a lady who did not give him her name, asking him to meet her at Walmart in Sallisaw at 10:30 a.m. to talk about the purchase of a puppy, according to the report.
Hollis said he left his home and took one puppy with him to meet the lady at Walmart.
“She was good. She asked me several detailed questions about the dogs and which ones had been chipped. She told me which one she wanted and I took it to Walmart with me and waited, but she never showed up,” Hollis said.
According to the report when Hollis arrived back home he noticed his home had been broken into and that nine of his Yorkshire terrier puppies and their mother were missing.
“Some of the puppies were only two days old and a few were three weeks old. They are the size of a mouse,” Hollis said.
Deputy Jerry Brooks was sent out to the home of Hollis and in his report he states that Hollis noticed a Walmart receipt on the ground in the driveway and that the lady on the phone sounded familiar.
“It came to me after speaking with Deputy Brooks, the voice on the phone did sound familiar, as someone I had dealt with in the past, a Melanie Bagley,” Hollis said.
The report states that a purchase was made using a food stamp card on the receipt he found on the ground. Hollis explained to Brooks that no one at his home receives food stamps.
A neighbor was able to describe a car with two females that sat on the roadway in front of Hollis’ home between 10:30 and 11 a.m.
Brooks contacted the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) in Oklahoma City to identify to whom the food stamp number belonged. The report states that it was confirmed the card belonged to Bagley.
According to the report at 9 p.m. Deputy Roy Coleman was notified that Bagley had the puppies in her home. Coleman went to Bagley’s home and asked for permission to search the residence for the dogs but was told no by Bagley.
Cox obtained a search warrant for Bagley’s home. During the search Brooks found a camouflage backpack with nine Yorkshire puppies and the mother standing outside the backpack behind Bagley’s home.
Cox said in the report, “
The dogs were wet, they seemed to be extremely cold, the outside temperature is around 32 degrees.”
The report states that Bagley told Cleghorn to hide the dogs. When Cox asked Cleghorn why she took the dogs outside in the cold she said, “Because Bagley asked me to take them outside to keep the sheriff from finding them.”
“The sheriff’s office did a great job. I never expected to see the puppies again,” Hollis said.
Bagley and Cleghorn were taken to the Sequoyah County Jail and booked in just past midnight, Feb. 28. Bagley was released on a $30,000 bond March 2. Cleghorn at press time hadn’t posted her $10,000 bond.
Hollis told Your TIMES that the puppies and their mom are in good health and he’s glad to have them back.