Tips needed to find SUV, dog thieves
By BRENDA SOMMER news1@leader-news.com

Crime Stoppers needs your help finding the person who stole an SUV last Thursday, taking the owner's dog along for a joy ride.

According to El Campo Police, a Ganado woman parked her car on the roadside in front of a home in the 300 block of Avenue A around 10:40 a.m. Sept. 13.

She left the car running and unlocked, with her Yorkshire terrier inside, while she went inside the house for a few minutes. When she came back out, her dog and her 2006 Ford Expedition worth $42,000 were gone.

The Ford was found around 2 a.m. Saturday by an El Campo Police officer near the corner of Marion and Alamo streets, parked out in a grassy field.

The keys were in the car. It was missing money that had been inside, but the rest of the vehicle's contents were intact, police said.

The dog was located outside Ritz Food Market, 602 S. Mechanic, and returned to the owners before the Expedition was found.

Crime Stoppers will pay a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and grand jury indictment in this case. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain completely anonymous.

If you have information, call Crime Stoppers at 543-TIPS, or ECPD Detective David Howard at 543-5311.

"Remember: Informants do not have to give their name: They're given a code number," said West Wharton County Crime Stoppers Coordinator and ECPD Officer Cindy Howell. "We don't use Caller I.D. and our phone is not taped, there's no tape recording."