Chase on Hwy 169 ended in discovery of stolen Minnetonka puppy

BELLE PLAINE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Days after a Minnetonka, Minnesota family reported their puppy stolen during a burglary, the family was reunited. Now, a 23-year-old suspect is in custody after the dog was found in his car following a pursuit.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, at about 4:13 p.m. April 20, a trooper was investigating a suspicious vehicle in a no trespassing lot at a MnDOT facility in Jackson Township. After the trooper spoke with both the driver and his passenger, the driver sped off from the lot.

The trooper pursued the suspect on Highway 41, Highway 169 and other roads in Scott County before the car, a BMW, became stuck in a field on County Road 59 in Belle Plaine. Two people ran out of the car, but police stopped the driver, a Maple Grove man, and took him into custody. The passenger is still missing.

Jordan Police, who assisted in the response, found a dog in the suspect's car. The dog was later identified as Zoey, the puppy stolen from a home in Minnetonka on April 16.

Officials are still investigating the case, and charges are pending.