A car theft in Oregon took an even darker turn after police recovered the stolen vehicle – only to find the owner’s pet dog had been left inside the car to die.
Bill Robbins in the owner of Sweet Leaf Illusions, a marijuana dispensary in Portland. He told KGW News that he stopped at his store April 6 to run a quick errand.
While he was inside, he left the car running with the air conditioner on because his dog Kona, a Great Dane and black lab mix, was sitting in the back seat.
He expected to be in the store for just a few minutes, but in that time security cameras captured a man approaching his parked black Hyundai, open the driver side door, and drive off – with Kona still in the car.
Robbins was so distraught at the loss of his dog that he offered a reward of US$5,000, as well as the car itself, for information leading to Kona’s return.
“He was my family member,” Robbins told KGW. “I spent every minute with him.”
Police located Robbins’ stolen car in a school parking lot on April 12, with Kona’s body inside.
Police say Kona was found in the front passenger seat, its leash wrapped around the gear shift. They say they’re not sure how Kona died, but evidence suggests the car had been parked there for several days.
Now Robbins has upped his reward offer to US$8,000 for information about the man who stole his car.
“The dog was curled up in the front seat of the passenger’s side,” Robbins said. “He’s had him sitting in the car in this heat.”
“He pretty much killed my dog for no reason. He could have let him out, free and he didn’t.”
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