A prize-winning show dog that was inside a van when it was stolen from a hotel in South St. Paul over the weekend has been found safe. Michelle Baker found her boxer, Jasper, on Monday inside van where the man who had stolen dumped it on Saturday.
Baker was in town for the Land O’Lakes Kennel Club Dog Show that was taking place at the St. Paul RiverCentre. She left her van running in the parking lot of the Hotel while she went inside the hotel to grab a cup of coffee. A man who was waiting in the lobby for a taxi stole the van, with Jasper still kenneled inside.
Fortunately, when St. Paul police and Baker shared surveillance video of a man who may have information about the theft, Baker said a childhood friend of the man called her and provided two addresses for him. He had abandoned the van where his taxi was going to be taking him.
Baker said they found the van with Jasper still locked inside. The man said he never realized there was a dog in the van. Jasper was cold and hungry, but otherwise OK, she wrote on Facebook. Here's the story as told by two local TV stations: