A woman who was allegedly caught on surveillance stealing a dog worth $4,500 from a Doral pet store has been arrested.
Elizabeth Maria Valdes, 32, was arrested Wednesday and faces a third-degree grand theft charge, Doral Police said.
Police retrieved the stolen dog Monday, days after it was stolen out of World Famous Puppies on Northwest 52nd Street, the store confirmed Wednesday.
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Surveillance video obtained by NBC6 showed a woman — with the dog in her arms — walk past the checkout counter and straight out the door on Friday.
According to an arrest report, the store's owner, who personally knows Valdes, said she had been in the store playing with the puppy before she left with it.
"She was very aggressive," Carlos San Andres, who was working in the store at the time of the theft, previously told NBC6.
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World Famous Puppies is known for its adorable breeds and global social media following.
San Andres said that the woman has come into the store on previous occasions.
"It was a client. She came in, like, two weeks ago. She take a look at the Yorkie," he said. "She was saying that her mom is going to buy her the puppy. We tell her the price, and she came in, like, a week ago, too, the same way: 'I'm looking for the puppy. It's going to be mine. My mom is going to buy it.'"
The woman allegedly made comments to employees about how it would be "crazy" if they sold the Yorkie to anyone else. San Andres also alleged she would scream at other customers.
A judge Thursday set Valdes' bond to $5,000 and ordered her to stay away from the store.
