Prison sentence for dog theft in St. Paul

A man who stole a dog after attacking her owner in St. Paul in April will serve more than three years (41 months) in prison.

Lonnie Ray Jenkins, 19, was given credit for 43 days already served. He was convicted of 1st degree robbery.

As previously reported, a woman had been attacked on her front doorstep after walking her dog, a French bulldog-Boston terrier mix named Clementine.

After the robbery, the woman posted flyers around the city with information and a picture of Clementine. Later that night, according to charging documents, a man called the woman saying he saw a dog he believed was Clementine in the area of Selby Avenue and North Kent Street.

That man later told police that a man asked him if he was interested in buying a French bulldog for $700. The concerned citizen went into the man’s home and saw the bulldog, then saw a flyer for Clementine at a nearby store and realized they were the same dog, the criminal complaint states.

Using that information and surveillance video from the area, officers learned Jenkins was the man who lived at the home, and his cellphone data placed him in the area of the robbery before showing him at his residence immediately after Clementine was taken.

When police executed a search warrant at Jenkins’ home, they found Clementine and reunited the dog with its owner.