Thief Stole Greyhound Donation Money
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007
Three men in their 50s and 60s furiously chased a young man Saturday through Lake Square Mall after the man snatched a donation jar full of money for elderly greyhound dogs.
John McKimmey, 59; Glenn LaPere, 55; and Jerry Jacoby, 66, pursued the thief they described as a teenager as he dashed through Sears about noon while filling his pockets with dollar bills from the jar. He exited the mall, ditched the can in a dumpster, ran back into the mall, and then he was gone.
He even outran McKimmey, who spent 14 years tracking down criminals for the Eustis Police Department. He got a pretty good head start because he’s 18 and I’m 59,” McKimmey said with a laugh Monday, recounting the episode.
The three Greyhound Pets of America volunteers were spending the day meeting mall customers and raising money for the animals’ care when the man clad in black shorts and a jersey grabbed the jar and took off. Jo Ann Ball, a volunteer for the greyhound group’s state “senior sanctuary” in Dade City, stayed with four retired racing greyhounds — Billy, Turbo, Teddy Bear and Tufa — while the three men took off in pursuit, Jacoby said.
The dogs probably wanted to use their racing legs to catch the thief, but they are a little past their prime, LaPere said. The group lost about $70 to $100 from the jar. Later that day, the group received generous donations from shoppers who heard about what happened. The thief was caught on a security camera in Sears, Leesburg police Lt. Rob Hicks said.
The organization works to find homes for greyhounds more than 7 years old. The stolen money was meant for the dogs’ medical care, food and housing.
“To have somebody grab money like that from a nonprofit organization is just unbelievable,” Jacoby said.
SOURCE: Sun-Sentinel
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