REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KRON) — A preliminary hearing is underway in San Mateo County Superior Court for seven people accused of stealing a French bulldog from a San Francisco man.
The man’s ex-girlfriend, 22-year-old Rocio Navarroflores, was the “catalyst” behind a plot to steal a French bulldog named “Prada” on June 29, 2021, according to prosecutors. “Navarroflores enlisted services of gang members to steal ‘Prada’ from (the) victim,” prosecutors wrote.
The six other defendants are Froylan Armenta Jr., Angel Dionicio Orozcocisneros, Vanessa Barrera, Brianna Raquel Toneyherrera, Marco Antonio Martinez, and Alexandra Salamanca.
The dog-napping happened in South San Francisco at The Travelodge Hotel, where the victim had planned to meet up with a woman. The woman was an “associate” used by the group for their plot, prosecutors said.
“Suspects utilized a female associate to text (the) victim over three weeks to try and meet him. Victim eventually provided his current location at The Travelodge Hotel,” prosecutors said.
When the victim opened his hotel room’s door to let the woman in the night, four assailants rushed in and beat the victim. The group stole the man’s car keys and his 8-month-old puppy.
The South San Francisco Police Department organized a sting operation and officers found Prada one month later, unharmed, with the suspects in Fremont. The dog is worth several thousand dollars, according to SSFPD. The pricey pooch was reunited with its owner.
Wednesday’s preliminary hearing will establish if the District Attorney’s Office has enough evidence against the accused dog-nappers for the case to move forward to a trial.
Martinez and Perdomo are still in custody, and the remaining defendants bailed out of jail.
