Alleged 'Dognapper' Due In Court Next Week, Faces Year Behind Bars

BLOOMFIELD TWP. (WWJ) - A Clarkston man accused of stealing a 10-month-old Siberian Husky puppy from outside a grocery store is due to appear in court next week.

Joseph Stephen Benson, who is charged with larceny of $200 or more but less than $1,000, is scheduled to appear in court on January 7 for a pre-trial hearing.

The dog-napping incident happened on December 14 outside of the Kroger store on Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Township. The dog's owner told police he walked up to the store with his dog Kodi and attached his leash to a pole at the storefront while he went shopping. When the owner returned about 20 minutes later, the dog was gone.

Witnesses told the owner that the person who took Kodi was a white man in his 20s driving a Jeep Wrangler.

The next day, the owner reportedly received an anonymous Facebook message that included a photo of Kodi and a photo of Benson, along with his name and address. The owner passed the information on to police, who ended up at Benson's mother's home at the Independence Woods Mobile Home Community in Clarkston where the dog was found unharmed.

Police say Benson removed the dog's collar, which had tags with his owner's name and phone number, without even making an attempt to contact Kodi's rightful owners. Investigators believe Benson intended to keep Kodi -- his mother had even bought toys for the dog.

According to reports, Benson is on probation in Ohio for a forgery charge. He also reportedly has several convictions for drugs and property crimes in Georgia.

If convicted as charged, Benson faces a year  behind bars and a $2,000 fine.