VANCOUVER -- Two days after a B.C. woman watched in horror as someone dragged her dog down the street in her stolen SUV, a suspect has been charged in the crime.
Authorities said the victim parked her Toyota Rav4 in Windermere on Monday afternoon and left it running with her husky-hound-shepherd cross inside.
She went into a local store, and by the time she came out the SUV was gone – along with her dog.
"A short time later the woman saw her Rav4 drive past and could only watch as the auto theft suspect tried to push her dog out of the moving SUV," RCMP Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey said in a news release.
"In doing so, the dog's leash became caught in the door, resulting in the dog being dragged for a distance of approximately one block."
At that point, the dog apparently either slipped free or was released when his collar broke. The animal suffered scratches and cuts that required stitches to patch up, but police said the dog – named Indy – is expected to fully recover.
Officers searched the area and said they managed to locate a suspect within an hour of the incident. The SUV was also found "a short distance away," according to the RCMP.
Alberta resident Rylan Kinsey, 24, has since been charged with theft of a motor vehicle, causing injury to an animal, and three counts of failing to comply with release conditions.
