Guelph police say a woman is facing charges in connection to a puppy scam and two break-ins at her elderly neighbour’s apartment.
Officers arrested the 27-year-old on Thursday, three months after the first reported break-in.
Police said the elderly victim returned to her apartment in late January after several days in the hospital due to a fall, only to discover her home had been ransacked.
“Items including her television and wallet were missing,” police said in a news release. “More than $400 was later charged to the victim’s credit cards at various locations.”
The service said surveillance video shows the neighbour walking back from the victim’s ground floor balcony with a television and other items in the middle of the night.
Police also allege that on March 7, the woman broke in again while the victim slept.
“The female was caught on video entering the victim’s balcony and going inside,” police said. “The victim’s wallet was stolen and later that day, almost $700 was charged to her credit card.”
Amid the break-ins, the suspect allegedly ran an online puppy scam.
Police said a Burlington woman called police on March 29 after responding to an advertisement for Boston Terriers and e-transferring $1,000, only to have the seller stop responding to her messages.
Officers took the woman into custody on Thursday in connection to the puppy scam and then charged her with the break-ins as well.
Charges include two counts of break and enter, two counts of using a stolen credit card, fraud and failing to comply with a release order.
She has yet to be identified by Guelph police and remains in custody, with a bail hearing scheduled for Friday.
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