Police ask public to help find stolen, abandoned puppies lost in Cornelius

CORNELIUS – Two puppies were stolen and abandoned in Cornelius Tuesday afternoon, and police are asking the public to help find them.

At 1:38 p.m., Washington County Sheriff's Office deputies who serve Cornelius responded to a report of two American Bully puppies stolen near a residence in the 2000 block of North Fremont Street.

Deputies learned the young dogs escaped from their yard through a hole in a fence sometime before 9 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The owners posted about their missing dogs on social media and received a tip later in the day that a man had been seen with the puppies at a nearby apartment complex.

The investigation led police to Sheikhnoor Abdi, 18, of Cornelius. He admitted to picking up the pups even though he believed they likely belonged to someone else.

After realizing he would not be able to keep the puppies, Adbi told deputies, he abandoned them near the railroad tracks in the vicinity of North 26th Avenue and North Fremont Street in Cornelius.

Abdi was arrested and lodged at the Washington County Jail for two counts of theft in the first degree, a felony.

The abandoned puppies have not been located.

Anyone with information is asked to contact deputies by calling (503) 629-0111.

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