Woman Sentenced for Stealing Puppy from Naperville Pet Store

A Missouri woman accused of tucking a puppy underneath her jacket and walking out of a Naperville pet store has entered a guilty plea to the theft, according to NBC Chicago. 

Shelley Hess, 51, was sentenced to two years probation on Thursday for stealing a 2-month-old Havanese pup on Nov. 7 from the a Petland store at 720 S. Route 59 in Naperville, NBC Chicago reports. Surveillance cameras captured the theft on tape. 

This is not the first time the Missouri woman has been accused of stealing a dog. 

Hess still faces trial in Will County for the Nov. 8 theft of a 14-year-old Maltese dog from a Petland in Bolingbrook and in St. Charles, MO, for the Nov. 7 theft of a Havanese puppy valued at $1,700 from a Lake Saint Louis, MO, Petland, according to the Naperville Sun. 

All of the dogs were dropped off in good health on Nov. 10 — allegedly by a male relative or friend of Hess' — to the Lake Saint Louis Petland and then returned to their respective stores, the Naperville Sun reports. 

But the charade did not end there. 

Police said Hess returned to the Naperville Petland on Nov. 22 and purchased two dogs, including the one she originally stole. She later called the manager of the store several times, confessing to the original theft and stating that she hoped that by purchasing the dogs she could "make it right," the Naperville Sun reports.