DETROIT (WWJ) -- A Detroit man is behind bars in Oakland County, where he's accused of stealing a dog under false pretenses, and attempting to sell it back to its owner.
"You could probably call this a worst nightmare scenario for any dog owner or really anybody that loves dogs," WWJ Newsradio 950's Luke Sloan reported on Tuesday.
According to Troy police, this all began on April 22, when officers got a call from a Troy resident who said she found a brindle-colored French bulldog in her backyard earlier that day. In an attempt to locate the owner, she posted a photo of the dog to Facebook.
When a man messaged her saying that he owned the dog, he gave the woman photos and information that was apparently very convincing.
The Good Samaritan then handed the dog over to the man, police said, believing he was its owner.
A short time later, the dog's real owners, who live nearby, learned that the Good Samaritan had found their dog. When they tried to contact the man she gave their dog to, the owners learned that he'd posted it for sale online.
The real owners set up a meeting outside DMC Children’s Hospital with the man, acting as an interested buyer.
When the suspect — identified as 24-year-old Malik Motley of Detroit — arrived with the dog, he was met by police who took him into custody.
Motley was booked at the Troy Police lock-up on one count of Larceny $1,000–$20,000, which is a felony offense.
He was arraigned on April 23 in 52-4 District Court where bond was set at $15,000 cash/surety, no 10%.
The good news: the bulldog now safely back at home with its owner.