Colorado Woman Stole Dog While Owner Was Having A Seizure At 7-Eleven, Cops Say
Reportedly, the man later died, the accused dognapper was arrested, and police returned the pooch to the man's family.
![Melody Mellon; Sampson [Longmont Police Department]](http://investigationdiscovery.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/investigationdiscovery/crimefeed/legacy/2019/08/Longmont-Police-Dept-Melody-Mellon-Sampson-S8072019.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.suffix/1565200283857.jpeg)
Melody Mellon; Sampson [Longmont Police Department]
LONGMONT, CO — Authorities say a Colorado woman was arrested for allegedly stealing a therapy dog from a man who had a seizure at a 7-Eleven store. The man died shortly thereafter, but police said the accused thief was caught, and the dog has since been given to the seizure victim’s family.
Melody Mellon, 30, is accused of stealing a therapy dog named Sampson from Robert Corbey, 59, after the man had a seizure at 7-Eleven last week. Unfortunately, Corbey was later pronounced dead at a hospital the same day.
While paramedics reportedly treated Corbey at the scene, authorities claim that Mellon took Sampson by the leash and walked off with the animal. The Longmont Police Department later released security-video images they said depicted Mellon stealing Sampson.
The following morning, Longmont Deputy Police Chief Jeff Satur said he spotted Sampson being walked by a couple, stating, “He stood out. I was like, ‘Oh, there he is!’ I recognized him right away.”
Satur said the couple told him a woman gave them the dog — presumably the same individual shown on the security footage.
Police said they found Mellon the next morning at around 5 A.M. She was reportedly inside a truck she’s accused of stealing from an ex-boyfriend's mother. Mellon allegedly kicked two officers while they were attempting to arrest her and put her inside a patrol car. After that, the cops said, Mellon spit and urinated inside the vehicle.
Authorities took Sampson to live with members of Corbey’s family, stating on Facebook, “He was thrilled to see them.”
Kelly Pleffner, Corbey’s niece, said that her uncle suffered from depression and mental illness, and that he’d been helped tremendously by Sampson’s work as a therapy dog. Pleffner added, “It feels like we have a piece of my uncle, having Sampson back.”
Satur thanked the public for their assistance and the media for sharing images, stating, “We appreciate everyone’s help, because tips are what help us do our job. In this case, it helped us get this little dog back.”
Read more: KDVR, KCNC, The New York Post
