Puppy stolen from store found, returned

Cocker Spaniel puppy spotted by JSO officer outside Clay County business

Clay County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Glenn Zier with recovered puppy

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – A Cocker Spaniel puppy reported stolen Saturday from Puppies Galore & More on Blanding Boulevard was spotted by an off-duty Jacksonville reserve officer Monday outside an Orange Park business.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, reserve officer Kevin Brown was driving by the Auto Zone at 777 Blanding Blvd. in Orange Park and recognized the puppy and the woman walking it. He pulled up surveillance footage from the theft, confirmed the woman was the suspect in the video and called in Clay County Sheriff's Office deputies for assistance.

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Jacksonville Sheriff's Office booking photo of Dana Hooks

The woman, later identified as Dana Hooks (pictured), was sitting in her car with the puppy and when Brown approached, Hooks immediately said she was going to take the puppy back, police said.

The original officer working the case came to the Auto Zone and took Hooks, 37, and the puppy back to the store.

Hooks was arrested and charged with grand theft. The puppy was valued at $1,100.

According to the police report on the theft, Hooks walked into the store with her two young children and started to play with some of the puppies. While the children kept playing with the puppies, Hooks emptied her bag, put a puppy in it and walked out of the store.

The incident was captured on surveillance video, and the investigating officer took pictures of Hooks and the puppy from the video and circulated them to officers in the city.