Pit bull jailbreak foiled by police
Woman arrested after allegedly breaking into animal shelter to retrieve her impounded dog
WOONSOCKET – A Massachusetts woman allegedly forced her way into the animal shelter to free her pit bull from dog jail Wednesday, a week after the animal was impounded for biting someone in the head during a domestic assault that was committed by the same woman, police say.
Karmen R. Bolden, 26, was identified from security video at the Cumberland Hill Road dog pound and taken into custody Thursday morning at 575 Wood Ave. She was charged with breaking and entering into a public building with felonious intent and released on bail following an appearance in Sixth District Court.
However, Bolden was also charged as a violator of her bail on the pending assault charges and ordered to appear for a hearing on Jan. 31.
Her brindle pit bull, Acer, was once again seized by animal control officers following Bolden’s arrest, though police reports say the dog would be released to her boyfriend if he could prove it’s a service dog and it’s up to date on its shots.
Bolden gives her address as 65 Grampin Way in Dorchester, Mass., but police reports indicate that she’s been living with her boyfriend and a 25-yearold female roommate for some time on the first floor of the Wood Avenue residence.
On Jan. 4, Bolden allegedly got into an argument with the roommate about the living arrangements. Bolden began yelling that she wanted the
woman to move out, then punched her in the face and dragged her to the floor by her hair, according to police.
As Bolden continued punching the roommate on the floor, Acer bit the victim on the head, Patrol Officer Khmao Phoeun’s report says.
Police said the roommate had cuts on her finger and face, a large bump on her forehead and a swollen eye when they arrived. She was later transported to Landmark Medical Center for treatment.
On Wednesday, Animal Control Officer Doris Kay and Asst. Animal Control Officer Tiffany Coles left the shelter facility for an out-of-town call about 9 a.m. When they left, there was a padlock securing the main gate and the office door was locked. Acer and a short-haired tiger cat were the only animals in the shelter at the time.
When they returned to the shelter about 10:30 a.m., the padlock was missing and the gate was ajar. The office door had been pried open and Acer was gone.
“Everything else throughout the shelter seemed to be in order, noth- ing aside from the dog seemed to be missing,” Coles said in a report. “It is believed that Karmen Bolden came to take her dog back.”
The suspicions were later confirmed by police when they checked the video from the pound’s security cameras.