Friday, August 26, 2011
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A Louisiana truck driver who was reunited with his American bulldog just hours after it was stolen at a South Dakota gas station calls the dog's speedy return "the work of God."
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| Buster, where he should be! |
Marc Cheramie, 48, of Gretna, La., tied Buster to a cage of propane tanks late Wednesday while he went inside the Sioux Falls station. When he came out, the dog was gone.
"I didn't have a lot of hope at the beginning. I was really depressed," Cheramie told the Argus Leader.
But about two hours later, a Highway Patrol trooper who stopped a woman for speeding on Interstate 29 and had heard the report about the stolen dog became suspicious when he saw a bulldog in the woman's car.
Alexandra Orlick, 19, of Flandreau, is charged with felony grand theft because Buster is valued at $1,200. She appeared in court on Thursday but did not offer a defense for the alleged theft. She was released on her own recognizance.
Cheramie said Buster was eager to get back to his master's truck after the incident.
"He knew it wasn't his fault but knew he hadn't been where he was supposed to be," Cheramie said.
Source: http://www.chron.com/news/article/Louisiana-trucker-reunited-with-dog-stolen-in-SD-2142317.php
Woman charged after dog stolen from trucker
Aug. 26, 2011
The Louisiana trucker whose dog was stolen from a gas station in Sioux Falls Wednesday night says the American bulldog's speedy return was "the work of God."
"I didn't have a lot of hope at the beginning. I was really depressed," said Marc Cheramie, 48, of Gretna, La. "I mean, I'm a full-grown man, and I was nearly in tears."
Cheramie stopped at the Pilot gas station at 5201 N. Granite Lane in Sioux Falls at about 11 p.m. Wednesday with his dog, Buster. He let Buster out of the cab of his truck, tied him to a cage of propane tanks outside and went inside to freshen up.
"I washed my hands, came out and he was gone," Cheramie said.
Within two hours, however, a Flandreau woman had been arrested on grand theft charges of taking Buster, and Cheramie had his travel companion back. The dog is valued at $1,200, which constitutes a felony under South Dakota law.
A South Dakota state trooper got suspicious when he stopped 19-year-old Alexandra Leigh Orlick for speeding just after 1 a.m. on Interstate 29. The patrolman saw the bulldog riding with her, Sioux Falls police spokesman Sam Clemens said.
The trooper heard the report about the stolen dog on his in-car radio.
Another trucker, Joe Saul of White River, was outside the Pilot station with his girlfriend petting Buster, which he called a very friendly dog, when the theft happened.
Orlick was sitting on the hood of her car around a bunch of friends, Saul said, and Buster kept looking through the station's window.
"I asked 'does anybody know whose dog this is,' and she jumped off the hood and said 'it's mine,' " Saul said. "The dog didn't go to her. It just kept looking."
Orlick fumbled with the knot, Saul said, which caught his attention.
"If you tie a knot, you should be able to untie it," he said.
Saul met Cheramie and told his story to the two officers who showed up to take the report. The trooper detained Orlick and charged her with one count of grand theft, a class six felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Orlick appeared in court Thursday afternoon and was released on a personal recognizance bond.
She also has a pending marijuana possession charge in Minnehaha County, according to court records, as well as pending charges for possession of alcohol by a minor and entering or refusing to leave in Brookings County.
Her record also includes a simple assault arrest and a handful of other misdemeanors, but the grand theft charge is her first felony. Orlick's father, who answered the number she listed in her court paperwork, said he hadn't heard about the incident.
On Thursday afternoon, Cheramie didn't know Orlick had appeared in court already, but he knew what she looked like. She was riding in the cruiser with the trooper when he returned Buster.
The 14-month-old dog wanted to go right back to his owner's truck, he said.
"He knew it wasn't his fault but knew he hadn't been where he was supposed to be," he said.
The Louisiana native said he was thankful to the trooper for his keen eye and to the officers for their kindness.
Orlick offered no explanation for the theft on Thursday afternoon.
"I really hope she learns her lesson and learns from her mistake," Cheramie said. "I'm a person who believes in forgiveness."
One source of this story:
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/louisiana-trucker-reunited-with-dog-stolen-in-sioux-falls/article_8bce0af0-cfe9-11e0-bb41-001cc4c03286.html
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