By: Karenlyn Barone
Carolyn Fey, 42, was arrested last Thursday at 7:40 p.m. at her home in north Lynbrook, six days after the dog was taken from the Shake-A-Paw pet store on Atlantic Avenue. Fey was fingered as the dog-napper seen on a store video surveillance tape, which appeared to show her quickly taking the dog out of his open pen and placing him under her jacket on New Year's Eve.
According to Lynbrook Detective Fred Fusswinkel, information received from the community during the investigation led to Fey's arrest. "The prior article in the Herald may have played a role in the process of acquiring information, which led to the arrest," Fusswinkel said.
The dog was returned to the owner of Shake-A-Paw, Marc Jacobs, and appeared to be in good condition. Fey was taken to the Fifth Precinct in Elmont following the arrest, which was made by Lynbrook and Fifth Precinct detectives. She was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny and arraigned last Friday in First District Court in Mineola.
"We are thrilled to have the puppy back," said Jacobs. "And we hope the woman is prosecuted to the full extent of the law." Jacobs expressed his thanks to the Lynbrook and the Nassau County police departments for their diligence in apprehending Fey.
A surveillance video shot in the store, which was shown to the Herald, appeared to show a woman, accompanied by a small child, wandering through Shake-A-Paw on the afternoon of Dec. 31, stopping frequently to pet the dogs. At one point the child tried to drag the woman to the exit, at which time the woman turned, walked up to an open pen and scooped up the Chihuahua. She then appeared to put the puppy under her coat and exit the store, with the child in tow.
"I feel real shame that a child was exposed to this criminal activity," said Jacobs. "And it's especially sad that this person applied for a job in this store just days before stealing the dog."
Asked if the store would change its policy on open pens, which permit customers to interact with the pets, Jacobs said no. "We leave the puppies out for a reason," he said. "It's good socialization for them to be handled."
Comments about this story? KBarone@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
