CLEARFIELD, Utah, July 29, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Reo, the Shih Tzu stolen when the vehicle he was in was carjacked, has been returned home.
Clearfield Police released a statement saying that at about 11 a.m. Saturday, “information was received from family of the victim that they had located missing dog ‘Reo’ at a homeless camp in Salt Lake City. The dog is safe, healthy and reunited with the victim.
“Initial information from family members of the victim indicates the dog was dropped off by the previously arrested suspect (Melissa Rush) to a random family at this homeless camp. It appears this homeless family had no idea the dog was stolen, and that they took care of the dog while in their company. The dog was given back to the victim without issue.”
Clearfield Police detectives will work to confirm the identity of the person who left the dog at the shelter, along with the date and time 7-year-old Reo was left, the statement says.
“The police department wishes to thank the media and public for their interest in the case, all the tips and help that was provided to both the police and the family of the victim due to the attention received.”
The Clearfield Police statement also thanked its officers and the family of the victim, and assisting agencies.
Backstory
Reo was taken Sunday when his owner, a 74-year-old woman, was inside a Clearfield gas station and a younger woman grabbed the vehicle keys from the owner’s front pocket, according to Clearfield Police. The woman with the keys ran out to the vehicle and jumped into the driver’s seat. Rush, 31, was arrested in connection with the case on Thursday.
The owner of the vehicle, which Reo was inside, chased the suspect outside and tried to remove the younger woman from the vehicle, but Rush “put the vehicle in reverse, causing the victim to fall and hit her head on the open car door,” her court documents state.
The older woman then was dragged across the parking lot, suffering a broken arm, bruised face and road rash, police said. The female driver left the gas station headed east on state Route 193.
Rush was arrested Thursday for investigation of:
- Robbery, a second-degree felony
- Vehicle theft, a second-degree felony
- Theft, a second-degree felony
- Aggravated assault, a third-degree felony
- Burglary of a vehicle, a class A misdemeanor
- Attempted burglary of a vehicle, a class A misdemeanor
- Criminal trespass, a class A misdemeanor
She is being held without bail in the Davis County Jail.
Rush was arrested while awaiting trial in Davis County on unrelated charges of child endangerment (four third-degree felony counts) and witness tampering (two third-degree felony counts), according to court documents.
