WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. -- Two men and a 16-year-old have been charged after allegedly breaking into a couple's home in the middle of the day and shooting their dog.
The homeowner told WREG the thieves shot their 4-year-old Pit Bull, Spot, over an Xbox, a few games and a jar of change. Stacy Booker and his wife were at work Thursday afternoon when he got a call from his neighbor.
"My neighbor spotted three guys running out the backyard," he said.
He rushed home to find they didn’t get away with much, but they shot his dog in the leg.
"I seen my air conditioner was laying out, out my window," Booker said. "When I checked in, then I see my dog was running through the house limping... He ain’t aggressive. He’d rather play with you than try to bite you."
Police said the thieves got in through the couple's bedroom window. Booker told WREG he believes the burglars shot his dog before getting inside because Spot was barking.
"[They] climbed in and then climbed right back out the same way they climbed in," he said.
But it didn’t take long for police to track the trio down. They found convicted felon, Roy Prewitt, 19, running around the neighborhood, covered in grass with leaves in his hair, according to a police report.
Police say he couldn't come up with a good reason for why he was there but begged them not to arrest him because he's already on probation for a prior burglary conviction.
Just a couple of blocks away a neighbor captured video of 20-year-old Makayle Franklin – also a convicted felon – and a 16-year-old boy jumping their fence, then running into the backyard. In the video, one of them is carrying what appears to be the jar of change stolen from Booker's home. Minutes later, officers rolled up and found the pair hiding behind a shed.
Everything stolen was found wrapped in a blanket nearby, along with a stolen 9-mm handgun, police say.
Fortunately, Spot is going to be okay after undergoing surgery Saturday, and will likely be able to go home Monday. Booker said he’s grateful his neighbor was in the right place at the right time.
"On my street, all my neighbors, we look out for each other," he said. "We do our own neighborhood watch."
All three suspects are facing several charges. Both Prewitt and Franklin have prior burglary convictions, and now police say Prewitt is also charged with animal cruelty for shooting Booker’s dog.
