A lesbian couple have been charged with stealing a Pomeranian service dog from a 67-year-old Vietnam veteran, who died from a suspected heart attack just hours before he was to be reunited with his beloved pet.
The Osceola County Sheriff's Office in Florida has announced the arrests of Jennifer Gotschall, 51, and Monique Cosser, 53, on grand theft charges for allegedly abducting Joseph Hanson's dog Kira.
According to the agency, Hanson was taking a walk at Old Town in Kissimmee, Florida, on October 28 with his two Pomeranian service dogs, 21-year-old Kira and 11-year-old Star, when a woman he did not know began yelling and hurling insults at him.
A few minutes later, Hanson realized Kira was gone.
Surveillance video from a business shows another woman behind him unleashing the dog, which weighs just over 6lbs.
Both of Hanson's pups had vests on them indicating they are PTSD service dogs and are not to be petted.
In an interview with
ClickOrlando last week, an emotional Hanson said his dogs allow him to function in public and make his life better, and made an appeal for Kira's safe return.
Acting on a tip from a concerned citizen, on Monday investigators recovered Kira from one of the suspects' home.
The two women, who are believed to be in a romantic relationship, face grand theft charges carrying up to five years in prison.
Kira, who is partially deaf and blind, was found in good health, but her owner never got a chance to see her again because he passed away just hours before he was set to be reunited with her.
Hanson's friends tell
Spectrum News the 67-year-old veteran was found unresponsive at his home on Saturday. They believe he suffered a heart attack, which resulted in his death at a hospital on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Gotschall and Cosser were arrested in two different counties on charges of grand theft carrying a sentence of up to five years in prison.
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