Cat stolen, held for ransom
Greenacres, FL (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Jul 2, 2008
County: Palm Beach

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Linda Urioste

A Florida woman is facing theft and extortion charges after holding a family's cat for ransom.

Police say it all began several weeks ago when Linda Urioste's Labrador Retriever was picked up by animal control.

The dog was later adopted from the animal shelter by Jutta Hollar and her husband.

Urioste eventually contacted the animal shelter that held her dog before the Hollars adopted it and contacted the couple.

Jutta Hollar says that she had originally planned to return the dog to Urioste, but changed her mind when Urioste yelled at her for taking the dog and threatened to sue.

A few days after the incident the Hollars noticed that their cat was missing.

They called police after Urioste left a message on their answering machine confirming that she had their cat, and offering to give it back in return for the dog.

Urioste was arrested, charged and later released on bond.

References

• North Country Gazette - July 2, 2008

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