Buster

Cops: Burglar Doused Puppy In Purple Paint After Breaking Into Massachusetts Residence

After breaking into a home on Martha’s Vineyard, a Massachusetts man removed a four-month-old puppy from its crate and then doused the animal in purple paint, according to police who busted the man on a variety of criminal charges.

Investigators allege that Felix Reagan burglarized a home in Oak Bluffs Saturday afternoon and later stole an automobile that he subsequently crashed.

The burglary victim, Tamara Gemme-Crawford, said that a ground level window had been forced in and several items were taken from her residence. Additionally, cops noted, “the victim’s dog had been painted with purple paint.”

In a Facebook post directed at Reagan, Gemme-Crawford wrote that, “you took my 4 mo. old puppy out of the safety of his crate where he was no threat to you and poured paint all over him, you put him outside in a strange area like a dirty shoe, and for That I will NEVER forgive you !!”

When police received a description of the disheveled burglar from a neighbor, they immediately suspected Reagan, who was busted in June for a similar break-in. When cops located Reagan, he was in possession of “prescription pills, a driver’s license and credit cards” taken from the burglarized home.

Reagan (seen at left) was charged with breaking and entering, auto theft, destruction of property, cruelty to animals, narcotics possession, and assault on a police officer.

In her Facebook post, Gemme-Crawford called Reagan a “cruel low life animal abuser,” and pledged, “I will be there in the court to watch you cry like a baby when you are not allowed to go home!!!!” Gemme-Crawford's dog, a border collie named Grayson, is seen above.

Gemme-Crawford told TSG that her puppy was in his crate in a closed, air-conditioned room. “He had water and his toys and he was not a threat to anyone,” she said.

Gemme-Crawford surmised that the dog--who was not injured by the paint--was barking since Reagan appeared to have given the animal a bag of apple fritters before dousing him with paint found in a cabinet. Reagan, Gemme-Crawford added, then “threw him out the door.”