By Christina Boyle, Daily News Staff Writer
Saturday, October 27 2007
Stacey Grant is happily reunited with beloved pooch Molly.
The Boston Terrier snatched outside a Brooklyn laundry is back home - after the dog's owners shelled out $2,500 to men they suspect stole her in the first place.
The day after the Daily News highlighted Molly's disappearance and fears that scammers are swiping pets to make a quick buck, the beloved pooch was returned in exchange for the cash reward.
Owners Stacey Grant and her boyfriend, Nick Hallam, received a call from a man who said he found Molly walking on the BQE, just yards from the spot where she vanished in Williamsburg last Friday.
"We almost ran over her with our car. We took her back to our father's in Long Island," the stranger explained. "I need to buy a car, my brother's got attached to the dog and I really want this money to buy a car."
The couple became even more suspicious when the man made basic errors describing their dog, and gave a wrong number to contact him.
"He kept calling Molly 'he' and said she had a black lead when it's burgundy," Grant said.
"He gave us a fake number. We called and it was the museum of New York. We thought it was a scam."
The man was persistent and after offering to do the swap near his Harlem home, Grant and Hallam insisted they meet on neutral turf - opting for a well-lit parking lot outside MacDonald's on W. 34th St.
They notified cops but were warned it could be a trap and to meet "at their own risk," Grant said.
"We got a cab and as we drove by there was a guy holding Molly," she said.
"I saw her and started crying and ran toward her. She recognized me immediately and was licking me all over."
Despite their suspicions, Grant and Hallam handed over an envelope with $2,500 cash to the two men with Molly.
One of the men even matched a description given by a witness who saw Molly being snatched.
"I was just really happy to see my dog. I was thanking them for bringing her back. Meanwhile they were getting our money," Grant said.
"I think the story in the paper made them feel pressure because people were going to recognize Molly. Thank God for that."
Despite some blisters on her paws and an odor of marijuana, Molly is unscathed.
"She was really subdued and spooked, a bit freaked out but will be okay," Grant said. "It makes me feel violated. Who takes your dog from you and holds them for ransom?"
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/dog-returned-ransom-money-thief-suspect-article-1.229529
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