A Winslow couple was arrested Wednesday morning on charges connected to the disappearance of pair of pitbulls in October.
The dogs in question were slated for court-ordered euthanasia after they had killed a smaller dog in injured its owner. When the time came to surrender the dogs, 28-year-old Danielle Jones allegedly told police she’d lost them while on a walk.
Police say they used a search warrant to obtain a pair of mobile phones which they say were related to the case.
“And a search of those phones gave us hundreds and hundreds of telephone numbers and text messages,” says Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey.
Massey says data from the phones suggest that Jones traveled to New Jersey on the day the dogs were due to be surrendered.
“We felt pretty comfortable that we are correct in our assumption that she in fact took those dogs and took them out of state,” he says.
Also charged is 33-year-old Brandon Ross. The pair was charged with a Class D misdemeanor: refusing or neglecting to comply with a dangerous dog court order, which carries a potential year in prison and a $2,000 fine.
Massey says the police will continue to search for the dogs.
The couple was released on $2,000 cash bail. They’re scheduled to appear in Kennebec County Superior Court in February.
