Man pleads guilty to stealing car in incident that led to dog’s death

LANCASTER >> An Oxford man has pleaded guilty to cruelty to animal charges in connection with a crime that occurred July 29 in which the car he stole resulted in the death of a family dog that was inside the vehicle.

Bryan J. Devoe, 31, stole the SUV on June 29 from the Rockvale Diner in the 2400 block of Lincoln Highway East while the owner was inside of the restaurant, police in East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County said. Inside the car was the owner’s dog, a Cairn terrier.

The dog was found dead in Christiana the next day, and on July 3, state police at Avondale found the car abandoned in Highland Township, Chester County.

The theft of the vehicle was captured by surveillance cameras.

The pet was a gift from a late relative of the victim’s.

At the court hearing, the victim spoke about “Duke,” her Cairn terrier. The woman said the incident caused extreme sadness and loss, saying Duke was an integral part of her family.

In exchange for his plea to felony theft and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges, Devoe was sentenced to a two- to fouryear prison term as part of an agreement arranged with prosecutors.

Lancaster County Judge Totaro called Devoe a career criminal, with prior convictions including an aggravated assault.

Bryan Devoe