Police: Man broke into vet clinic to steal his own dog

Published 2:45 pm Tuesday, July 14, 2015

MANKATO, Minn. — A Minnesota man apparently separated from his canine friend was charged with breaking into a veterinary clinic to reclaim his dog.

The Mankato (Minnesota) Free Press reports Jesse Alan Moody faces felony charges of second- and third-degree burglary for allegedly breaking into the Premier Veterinary Center in Mankato either during the night of June 23 or the early morning hours of June 24.

A veterinary center employee reported the burglary shortly before 7:30 a.m. on June 24. He told police that he found the back door of the building pried open and discovered two black Labrador retrievers had been taken from kennels in the basement.

The employee told a Mankato police officer Moody’s dog, a black lab named Midnight that had been obtained from another shelter, had been dropped off at the clinic on June 13 by a North Mankato police officer. The officer said the dog had been picked up as a stray, but Moody had called him later that night to claim the lab.

The second missing dog, also a black lab that Moody had admired while visiting Midnight, had been dropped off June 16, the clinic employee reported.

Moody’s dog had a tumor in its side that a vet suspected was cancer. Arrangements were made with Moody to have the tumor removed, but he couldn’t pay immediately. Moody set up a site to raise money for a July operation at gofundme.com. As of Monday, only $110 of the $600 needed had been raised.

A partially smoked cigarette found near the back door of the clinic was used as evidence to tie Moody to the burglary. Employees at the clinic told the Mankato officer they did not smoke, and butts from the same brand were found outside Moody’s North Mankato apartment on June 24 when officers tried to contact him.

Moody reportedly contacted the clinic to say he wanted the dog back because it was part of his family. He also said it was illegal for the clinic to hold his dog for payment.

Police continued to search for Moody through early July before filing the charges after a Mankato officer learned Moody was jailed on an unrelated drunken driving charge.

No date for an initial court appearance has been set.

The Mankato (Minnesota) Free Press contributed to this story.