Woman Charged For Humane Society Break-In
RED WING, Minn. (WCCO) -- Investigators say a dog owner stooped to a new low to get her pet back from an animal shelter.
It happened at the Goodhue County Humane Society in Red Wing. Court documents say the dog owner broke into the shelter when it was closed then did it again a second time to cover her tracks.
At the Goodhue County Humane Society, you're more than welcome to adopt a dog -- but not to steal one.
"We haven't actually had anybody make off with them without getting caught," the shelter's executive director Cathryn Reed said.
That was until last week when staff noticed in the morning that one named Nutter Butters was missing from his kennel. The alarm system never went off, leaving workers confused.
"We noticed a kennel had been moved up against the fence," Reed said.
They felt the thief must have jumped over the fence, entered an outdoor kennel, then crawled through a doggy door -- the only door unlocked overnight.
"It showed us a weak link in our security," Reed said. "To be honest, it was nothing any of us had ever thought of before."
Investigators questioned the dog's owner -- Angela Wunder. In the court documents, she told investigators Nutter Butters often got loose. Shelter staff say it's the sixth time police had brought the dog in.
"We had made arrangements last time she picked him up for payment, so that she could get the dog without having to come up with all of the money," Reed said.
In the documents, investigators say Wunder admitted that she sneaked into the building through the doggy door, then returned later to tamper with the security system to hide the crime.
"It makes me sad that they felt they needed to go around the system instead of working with us," Reed said.
Wunder faces burglarly and theft charges.
The humane society is now trying to upgrade its security. As a nonprofit, it needs help with the sudden expense. They set up a GoFundMe page if you want to help.
