An employee of the Mason County Animal Shelter who was accused of selling dogs out of the facility and pocketing the money has been arrested, according to records from the Mason County Animal Shelter.
Erik Cox, 44, of Maysville, was arrested Friday afternoon and charged with theft by unlawful taking in connection with the incident. He was later released from MCDC on his own recognizance.
Cox is alleged to have sold an Australian shepherd-corgi mix puppy to a couple just hours after it was left at the shelter by a Good Samaritan who had found the dog wandering when he escaped unbeknownst to his owners. According to protocol, the dog should have been on a stray hold for five days before being eligible for adoption.
When the owner discovered the puppy missing, he was told the dog had been left at the shelter. He went to retrieve his dog but was told at the shelter no one was sure exactly where it was and that there was no paperwork available.
Bill Howell, the MCAS manager, gave the owner a tour of the kennels and the dog named Puddles wasn’t in any of them.
When Howell went to look for the dog’s intake paperwork. At that point, Cox came in and said he didn’t know where the dog was.
In the meantime, Maysville resident Daniel Sammons saw the dog’s picture on Facebook and noticed the striking resemblance to a photo of a dog that had been shown to him. That provided a breakthrough in the search for the missing dog.
Sammons knew who the people were and went to visit them.
It was then he discovered the couple had allegedly bought Puddles and another puppy, along with a crate for $100 from Cox. Sammons contacted Mason County Judge-Executive Owen McNeill who, along with Sammons facilitated the dog’s return to his owner.
The fate of the second puppy remains unclear, although there allegedly was no paperwork on its adoption either.
Mason County Sheriff Patrick Boggs confirmed that a criminal investigation, led by Chief Deputy Ryan Swolsky was underway. Swolsky is listed as the arresting officer on the MCDC website.
Cox is scheduled to appear in Mason District Court on Aug. 12.