Five French bulldog puppies worth $23,000 stolen from breeder by NC man, jury finds
.jpg "A 23-year-old man from Greensboro, North Carolina, was found guilty in Pennsylvania federal court on Thursday, March 31, 2022, on charges of armed robbery. Prosecutors said he stole five French bulldog puppies valued at $23,500 from a breeder.")
Just before noon on a fall day in Pennsylvania, police were called to investigate the heist of five French bulldog puppies from a breeder’s house. Law enforcement said the purchase price for the dogs was $23,500.
Now, nearly 18 months later, a 23-year-old from North Carolina has been convicted.
A federal jury found Christopher Lamont Stimpson Jr. guilty on charges of aiding and abetting a robbery and the interstate transportation of stolen goods after a four-day trial in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. A second person accused of helping him was acquitted.
Stimpson is from Greensboro, about 90 miles northeast of Charlotte.
“Armed robbery is armed robbery, whether the objective is drugs, dollars, or dogs,” Jacqueline Maguire, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, said in a news release. “Christopher Stimpson traveled quite a ways to terrorize the breeder and his family and take those puppies by force.”
A defense attorney representing Stimpson did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on April 1.
Stimpson is accused of committing the robbery on Oct. 29, 2020, when prosecutors said he and a friend drove to West Cocalico township in Stevens, Pennsylvania, to meet with Benuel Stoltzfus, the owner of Mountain Top Kennels. Stoltzfus breeds and sells French bulldogs online as a side business, court documents state.
Stimpson and Stoltzfus spoke on the phone prior to the sale, investigators said, and the pair agreed on a purchase price of $23,500.
Stoltzfus reportedly had Stimpson and his friend pick him up from work and bring him to his house, where he brought the puppies out from their kennel in a white laundry basket, the government said. According to court documents, Stimpson took some pictures and agreed to purchase the dogs, which his friend then put in their truck while Stimpson paid Stoltzfus.
While Stoltzfus was counting the bills, Stimpson suddenly “scooped all of the money off of the kitchen table and ran toward the door,” investigators said.
The government said a struggle ensued and Stimpson pulled out a black handgun, pointed it at Stoltzfus and demanded he and his wife put all the money in a plastic ice cream container. They complied, and Stimpson was accused of fleeing with both the dogs and the money. Stoltzfus’ daughter managed to copy the truck’s license plate before they left, the government said.
Police traced the car to a rental agency in North Carolina and determined it was leased to Stimpson’s brother, according to court documents.
A few days later, a customer who had been interested in buying one of the puppies found an Instagram post that showed pictures of the dogs with Stimpson, prosecutors said.
Stimpson was arrested on Dec. 8, 2020. According to documents filed by his defense attorney, he told the officers who interviewed him that he spoke with Stoltzfus on the phone to arrange the deal but thought it was “weird” that the breeder asked to be picked up at work.
He said Stoltzfus “began to act weirder” when they got inside the house and was speaking in a different language to his wife.
“Mr. Stimpson then panicked and tried to flee the residence,” his attorney said.
Stimpson, however, denied having a gun and told investigators he did not rob Stoltzfus.
Police were able to round up the puppies from locations in Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh and they were returned to the breeder by Dec. 11, 2020, his attorney said.
Stimpson was released on a $50,000 bond, court filings show.
He was returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshal after the verdict was announced, and he is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14.
This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Five French bulldog puppies worth $23,000 stolen from breeder by NC man, jury finds."
