SAN FRANCISCO—On Monday, February 22, a 4-month-old Maltese puppy named Scruggs was stolen during an auto burglary in downtown San Francisco and returned home safely to his owner Saturday, February 27, the San Francisco Police Department reported.
The owner indicated he parked his Subaru on the 200 block of Sutter Street in San Francisco and left the puppy inside the SUV for nearly 30 minutes. The puppy was gone when he returned.
Authorities arrested Viengphet Sasone, 43, on Thursday, February 25 in connection with the burglary after reviewing surveillance footage, but said Sasone “refused to tell investigators the location of Scruggs.” On February 27, a Richmond resident who purchased their new dog in the Tenderloin District learned that it was stolen, the police reported.
The SFPD reunited Scruggs with his owners in Richmond on Saturday. Scruggs appeared to be in good health and “is happy to be with his family,” the SFPD noted. They also issued the following statement:
“The San Francisco Police Department would like to thank the public and news media for their interest and assistance in this case.”
