Man breaks into veterinary clinic, steals 2 black labs in Mankato, Minn.

A man is facing felony charges after he allegedly broke into a veterinary clinic overnight and stole two black labs in Mankato, Minn. Jesse Moody, 29, broke into the Premier Veterinary Center at 1606 South Riverfront Drive during the night of June 23.

Just a few days before, Moody allegedly came in looking for his black lab “Midnight.” But workers said he couldn’t prove ownership or pay any of the fees.

“Some red flags started going up, he didn’t’ have any history about the dog, he didn’t know anything about her,” Sue Erickson, who works at the clinic, said.

According to the Mankato Free Press, "Midnight" had come from another shelter and was dropped off at the clinic on June 13 by a North Mankato police officer. The officer said the dog was picked up as a stray, but Moody allegedly called him later that night to claim the lab.

The second dog, dropped off on June 16, caught Moody’s eye while visiting Midnight. 

After an employee found the back door of the building had been pried open, it was discovered that the two black labs had been taken from kennels in the basement.  

Days later, a neighbor later called police to report Moody had left the apartment in a green car with both dogs, which was eventually traced to its owner in Mapleton, Minn. The man told officers that Moody asked him to take care of the two dogs. He said he knew nothing about the burglary.  

Following that, officers safely returned the two labs back to the clinic.