Romulus teen charged with stealing dogs advertised on craigslist

Christine Ferretti / The Detroit News

Clinton Township -- A Romulus teen is facing up to four years in prison on allegations she stole four chihuahua puppies from the home of a woman advertising the dogs on craigslist.org.

Sydney Shane-Elizabeth Ruiz-Wyatt was arraigned Monday in 41-B District Court on one felony count of larceny from a building after police claim she visited the Glenwood Street home of the woman selling the pups on Oct. 16 and took off with several of them.

Police say the dog owner was not home when 17-year-old Ruiz-Wyatt showed up, but the woman's roommate let the teen inside and left her alone in a room with the dogs while he went to call the dog owner. When he returned, the teen and the $450 apiece puppies, which are about four to six weeks old, were gone.

The teen was arrested Sunday by Woodhaven police.

Clinton Township Police Detective Leo Melise said Ruiz-Wyatt's mother, who has refused to give her name to investigators, was the recipient of one of the dogs. And she immediately turned it over to Romulus police when she learned they were stolen. It is unknown at this time what happened to the three other dogs.

Melise said the dog owner's roommate was not involved in the theft and he helped police identify Ruiz-Wyatt through a photo line-up.

Melise said as a juvenile, Ruiz-Wyatt had "a lot of problems" and was "incorrigible." She has been kicked out of relatives' homes and was previously a runaway.

The teen is being housed at Macomb County Jail on a $10,000, 10 percent bond. She's due in court for a preliminary hearing Nov. 9.

The dog owner could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.

Anyone with information about the other three puppies is being asked to contact police at (586) 493-7840.

cferretti@detnews.com (586) 468-0343