A woman is under investigation after someone broke into the San Bernardino animal shelter and released 25 dogs, all but one of which had been recovered as of Friday afternoon.
A black-and-white image from a surveillance camera shows a slender figure in a gray hooded sweatshirt leading a pack of more than a half-dozen dogs through the facility on Chandler Place early Wednesday, Feb. 26.
The Police Department considers the woman, who is in her 40s, a person of interest and has not conclusively determined that she is the burglar, Capt. Nelson Carrington said Friday. She is being held on a warrant for her arrest issued outside San Bernardino County.
The woman was apprehended about a half-mile from the shelter, Carrington said.
City officials learned of the break-in around 4:45 a.m. Wednesday. Police discovered that someone used bolt cutters to enter the grounds and cut the locks on kennels. Some dogs left through the gate while others stayed inside the grounds, said Jeff Kraus, a city spokesman.
Shelter employees quickly rounded up the dogs, including four that were found in a trash bin outside the grounds. All four were described as being in good condition. One dog, a cream-colored Chihuahua named Louise, was missing Friday. She is spayed and microchipped.
“We are hopeful that someone will recognize her and help us bring her back,” San Bernardino Animal Services Director Kristine Watson said in a news release.
City officials find the burglary puzzling.
Kraus said that typically, someone who breaks into a shelter either is an animal-rights activist intending to set the animals free or someone whose dog was impounded. Neither appears to be the case here, Kraus said, although the motive remains a mystery. He said the shelter does euthanize animals.
Barriers between sections prevented the burglar from releasing more dogs, Kraus said. Wrought iron fencing and cameras have been added in recent years and officials are now considering supplementing those with motion-sensing lights and more cameras, he said.
The shelter houses 300 dogs and also serves Loma Linda, Grand Terrace, Rialto, Colton and Fontana.
Officials ask anyone with information on the burglary or the missing dog to call at 909-998-4000.
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