VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- A 22-year-old Virginia Beach woman was arrested Sunday after police said she fraudulently took in a lost dog, listed it on Craigslist and attempted to sell the animal.
The owner of the three-year-old Siberian Husky named Nikita said the dog escaped for his yard in Chesapeake on Saturday morning around 10 a.m. But, just when Nikita's owner started losing hope, he said he found a lead in the search for his beloved pet.
"It blew me away. Until now, I would have never thought anyone would do that," Josh King said.
Jessica Colleran, 22, of Virginia Beach, is accused of picking up Nikita later that day after the dog was listed on a "found dog" Craigslist ad. Colleran told the person who found Nikita that she was her owner, according to Chesapeake Police.
King said his good friend spotted the Craigslist's ad posted by a man who found Nikita.
"He said a woman came and claimed her so he gave us all of her information," King explained.
But, he said when he later found Collaren's ad on Craiglist listing a Siberian Husky for sale, he put two and two together. He took action, called Colleran and pretended to be an interested buyer. He said he agreed to meet her on Sunday in a park in the Cradock area of Portsmouth.
What Colleran didn't know is that Portsmouth Police and Chesapeake Animal Control would also be there.
"She's like no, no the person gave me the dog and she just kept saying that over and over," King described.
King said animal control officers scanned Nikita for her microchip and verified he was the rightful owner.
"She's had a lot of issues like medically. That's what was freaking me out the most," King said.
Colleran was taken into custody and charged with obtaining property under false pretenses. She is currently being held in the Chesapeake Correctional Center.
