FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A woman accused of stealing a pricey cellphone from an animal shelter last year was arrested Friday.
It was early in the evening on December 2, 2014, and Pethy Dome was at the Broward County Animal Care and Regulation building near The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport.
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It wasn't long after she left the shelter that she realized she had left her phone behind. But when she went back to the office, her phone was nowhere to be found.
According to an arrest report, a review of the security camera footage showed that Dome had left her Samsung Galaxy 5 on the counter. The couple behind her in line, identified as Mary Luz Diaz, 34, and Robert Dey, then decided to take the phone.
The arrest report stated, "The male and female acted in concert to take the victim's cellphone without turning the phone over to anyone at the facility."
Fortunately for the victim, Diaz was easily identified by police, because she had filled out an adoption application that included her address and phone number.
According to the Broward Sheriff's Office, when they called Diaz, she admitted to taking the phone, and identified the man in the surveillance video as her boyfriend, Robert Dey.
Diaz agreed to return the phone, but when police arrived at her house on December 5, she was not home. Her brother, David Diaz, answered the door and handed the officer the phone. The memory had been erased, and the SIM card removed.
Police finally tracked down Diaz on Friday, charging her with grand theft. The phone was valued at $660.
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