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An L.A. area employee of the broadband and cable service provider, Spectrum was caught on camera entering a customer’s property moments before rushing back to his service van and driving off with the homeowner’s puppy in his arms.
Cable service providers don’t always have the best reputation – but that’s usually because of missed appointments, hidden fees, or inconvenient installations. But, one Los Angeles area Spectrum employee reached an all time low when he stole a customer’s 10-month old Pug puppy and drove off with him.
When Melissa Cortez checked her neighbor’s surveillance camera footage, she was horrified to see the Spectrum employee opening her fence, grabbing the puppy, and darting to his van, 10-month old Pug, ‘Andrew’ in his arms, before driving off. Relieved that she knew where Andrew was, but desperate to get the puppy back, Cortez contacted police, made a phone call to Spectrum, and posted video footage of the theft to Twitter.
“I was angry and upset at first, just thinking that someone took him, but to see someone who people usually trust to be in their homes felt like an even bigger violation,” Cortez told The Press-Enterprise.
Cortez tagged Spectrum, along with several local news channels, in hopes of a swift return of her stolen pup. Her efforts worked – Andrew was returned home less than 24-hours later.
Spectrum’s head of security brought the Pug back to her.
In a statement, Spectrum told The Verge that its security team had rectified the situation. “As part of its support of the Riverside Sheriff’s investigation, Spectrum security has recovered the dog and has returned it to the owner,” a spokesperson said. “The employee involved has been informed that he has been terminated.”
Although the employee was terminated, no arrests have been made in this case. It is unclear at this time whether the employee will faces charges.