16-Year-Old Arrested In Dognapping Case Of Avery The Yorkie From Prince George's

LANDOVER, MD — A 16-year-old has been arrested in the dognapping case of Avery the Yorkie who was stolen off his family's front porch. Thankfully, this story has a happy ending as Avery has been reunited with his family.

Raquel Witherspoon and her 12-year-old daughter shared with WJLA how their doorbell camera caught the incident. The dognappers even demanded a $1,200 ransom from the family.

Prince George's County Police said on Facebook the terrier was returned to its family on June 21 after officers found Avery at a home in the Landover area.

A 16-year-old girl was charged Friday after police said she admitted to her part in taking the dog and attempting to extort Witherspoon for money, police said on Facebook.

The theft happened June 18 on Tayside Way in Landover, police said, when Avery somehow got out of the house and was on the porch. When his family realized he wasn't in the home, they checked the home's doorbell surveillance video and saw him outside on the front porch. But when they opened the door, the 3-year-old dog was already gone, Patch reported previously.

The video captured a woman with red hair and a man with a backpack try to lure Avery away before just walking up and grabbing him, WUSA reported.

"He's family. He's my granddog. He's family. I'll do anything to get him back, anything," Witherspoon told the TV station.

Witherspoon put up flyers and the family worked with police for the safe return of Avery, Patch reported previously. A phone call from the suspect demanding $1,200 worried the family even more. She told WUSA the woman on the other end of the phone started cursing at her and making threatening comments toward the family's beloved dog.