With one week until Christmas, a South Bay family has already received the best gift they could hope for this year: their stolen dog and car returned.
On Sunday, Caitlin Wollman said a new roommate took her dog, Tyson, on a walk in Ocean Beach. However, the roommate never came back, and Wollman soon noticed her car was gone as well.
Inside the vehicle were Christmas presents for her 3-year-old daughter, Violet, who has a rare liver disease.
“I don't understand how somebody could take a family dog or let alone a car with a car seat in it,” said Wollman. “It's beyond me; it's disgusting, disappointing , just unreal. I'm still in shock.
After she filed a police report, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department found the roommate this week and arrested her. However, neither the dog nor the car was with her.
Instead, tribal police in Sycuan found Tyson and the vehicle with another man, who was also taken into custody.
On Friday, an ecstatic Violet was reunited with her dear friend.
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“I am very happy that he's home,” said Wollman. “We didn't think we were ever going to see him again. To be perfectly honest, this is our family home dog. Christmas is coming up. It's traumatizing to my child. This dog means a lot to all of us, and we are really happy to have him home.”
Their stolen car was found damaged; the Christmas toys inside were gone. Wollman filed a new police report for the taken items, and she is also raising money to get her car out of the impound lot.
