Teen held in theft of four Chihuahua puppies

Christine Ferretti / The Detroit News

Clinton Township -- A Romulus teen is facing prison time after police allege she stole four Chihuahua puppies from the home of a woman trying to sell the dogs on the Web site Craigslist.

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

The 17-year-old faces up to four years in prison, if convicted.

Police said the dog owner was not home when Ruiz-Wyatt showed up, but the woman's roommate let the teen inside and left her alone with the dogs while he went into another room to call the dogs' owner.

When he returned, the teen and the $450 puppies, which are 4-6 weeks old, were gone, police said.

Clinton Township Police Detective Leo Melise said Ruiz-Wyatt's mother received one of the dogs. She immediately turned it over to Romulus Police when she learned they were stolen, police said.

It is not known what happened to the three other dogs.

Melise said the Clinton Township dog owner's roommate was not involved in the theft and he helped police identify Ruiz-Wyatt through a photo lineup. She was arrested Sunday by Woodhaven Police.

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 bond. She's due in court for a preliminary hearing Nov. 9.

The dog owner could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

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

cferretti@detnews.com (586) 468-0343