PUNXSUTAWNEY BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) – Charges have been filed against a man who allegedly stole his ex-wife’s dog in Punxsutawney.
Court documents indicate the Punxsutawney Borough Police Department filed criminal charges against 23-year-old John A. Wells, of Cheswick, Pa.
According to a criminal complaint, on Friday, November 19, Punxsutawney Borough Police received a call from a known victim who indicated that she and her husband left their Liberty Street residence for work at 8:00 a.m., and when her husband got home at 4:00 p.m., he found the back door of the house was open and her nine-year-old Chihuahua-Maltese mix dog was missing.
The complaint indicates the victim told police it didn’t make sense because she had a fence around the property, and the dog cannot get over or around the fence. She told police she also put up a Facebook post about her dog being missing.
According to the complaint, on Saturday, November 20, the victim reported that she had been at work at the DuBois Mall when her ex, John Wells, showed up at her place of employment. She said she initially hid in the storage area when he came to the store where she works, and Wells went to her coworker and asked where she was. She reported Wells said he needed to speak to her because he took her dog.
The victim told police she then came out of the storage area and confronted Wells. She indicated Wells told her he went to her house and the dog “ran out in front of him” and said he almost hit the dog. He said he then took the dog to a shelter, but when asked what shelter, he reportedly got angry and wouldn’t tell her. Wells then yelled at the victim and left the store, according to the complaint.
After receiving the report from the victim, police made contact with Wells to speak to him about the allegations.
According to the complaint, Wells initially denied taking the victim’s dog. He told police he saw the victim’s Facebook post and thought he would lie to her about the dog, so she would talk to him. He also told police he would “help her find the dog” but only if she would “agree to sit down and talk to him.”
The complaint notes that during the phone conversation, the call dropped several times, and when Wells called back after one of the dropped calls, he stated he had been pulled over by another state police trooper, but would not say where.
Punxsutawney Borough Police then contacted Punxsutawney-based State Police to see about tracking the traffic stop. They were then contacted by a trooper from the Marienville-based State Police who said he had just had a traffic stop with Wells. The trooper indicated Wells had informed him about the issues he was having and said Wells had the dog with him in the vehicle. The trooper reported Wells said he found the dog “running around.” He also indicated Wells had a gun in the vehicle.
Punxsutawney Borough Police then contacted Wells again and asked him about the traffic stop. Wells then admitted he had the dog and said he would return it the next day, as he was out of town visiting family.
The complaint notes that when police spoke to Wells again later that day, he indicated he was going to make sure the dog was “in a safe place,” and was going to “put himself in an unsafe place.” When asked for clarification, he reportedly indicated he was going to take his own life. Police then attempted to ping Well’s cell phone to find out his location, since he refused to say where he was, while keeping him on the phone. Police also put out a Be On the Lookout Order (BOLO) on his vehicle.
After losing contact with Wells by phone, police continued to track his vehicle, then managed to make contact by phone again. Police kept Wells on the phone for over an hour, continuing to try to convince him not to take his own life, while also trying to pinpoint his location. Police caught up to his vehicle in the Harmer area just outside of Pittsburgh, and the officer on the phone asked him to stop his vehicle and put his hands out of the window.
According to the complaint, Wells followed the officer’s instructions and was taken into custody without further incident. He was subsequently taken to a hospital on a mental health warrant and the dog was returned to the victim.
The following charges were filed against Wells through Magisterial District Judge Jacqueline J. Mizerock’s office on Monday, November 22:
– Burglary – Overnight Accommodation, No Person Present, Felony 1
– Criminal Trespass-Enter Structure, Felony 3
– Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Misdemeanor 1
– Receiving Stolen Property, Misdemeanor 1
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:15 p.m. on January 4, 2022, with Judge Mizerock presiding.
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