'Meatball' The Dog Kidnapped? Jamestown Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Charge She Stole Homeless Woman's Pet

NEWPORT, RI — Meatball, the 3-year-old American Staffordshire terrier, is in the news again. According to WJAR-TV, a Jamestown woman, Barbara Szepatowski, took the dog after she spotted Meatball with panhanders near the Newport Grand.

Newport Police last October received numerous calls about Meatball who was on a leash in the Admiral Kalfbus Highway median beside Sandra Whipple, a Newport homeless woman. She was panhandling.

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An officer cautioned her about the danger that could befall the dog in the median. In response, she moved Meatball to a safer spot and tied him up in a grassy area nearby but away from traffic.

The Patch interviewed Whipple about her predicament, and she said she had lost her home after suffering some medical problems. She was homeless but did occasionally stay with friends.

According to news sources, Szepatowski pleaded not guilty in Newport District court Tuesday.

Jamestown lawyer Guy Settipane said Whipple and Szepatowski had arranged a shared custody agreement for Meatball, and Whipple agreed not to let the dog stand out in the cold. When his client saw Meatball had been left with two panhandlers, she decided the dog was in harm's way.

Settipane said his client will not say where Meatball is.