RUH-OH! SCOOBY COLLARS OWN DOGNAPPER!
But suspect insists he had pooch to collect reward
KIDNAPPED golden retriever Scooby turned the tables on his captor and solved his own abduction — and a slew of other thefts — by tipping off cops!
When suspected dognapper Cory Gaudio opened the door of his Brooklyn home to investigating NYPD officers, Scooby squeezed by and dashed out to greet the police, stunned lawmen say.
“So you have me on a stolen dog,” the 23-year-old suspect reportedly blurted to lawmen. “I found it and I was going to keep it for a reward.”
But investigators probing a rash of break-ins in the Gravesend neighborhood found a lot more than the purloined pooch in his pad, including pain pills, stolen property and a cache of weapons — a machete, sword, “knuckle knife” and bullets, according to police reports.
He also had a police scanner to alert him to the whereabouts of cops.
Scooby’s adventure began when Frella Correa and her hubby, Ever Vega, came home and found the two-year-old pup gone along with her wedding ring and a computer.
They rushed outside to look and found cops already scouring the neighborhood for Gaudio, who police say was a suspect after being identified from security videos.
When Scooby darted through the door and greeted officers Nicholas Occhipinti and Anthony Brucato with tail wagging wildly, they identified the pup from his tag and collared Gaudio.
He was caged on a $20,000 bond, and was charged with burglary and possession of a weapon, drugs and stolen property. The judge also ordered him to keep away from Scooby and other victims.
Meanwhile, Scooby, who got his name for “being so funny,” was thrilled to be back home.
“He was so happy to see us,” says hotel worker Frella. “He was jumping around. Of course, I hugged him. Even the neighbors. They were helping to look for him, too. We were so scared.”
She brought along some treats when Scooby was praised at a media event at the 62nd Precinct.
“He eats everything, but he likes chicken and meat,” Frella says. “He likes our food, too — rice, beans, peanuts.”