Two of four stolen puppies found

YOUNGSTOWN — A South Side woman has been reunited with two of four pitbull puppies she lost in a Thursday robbery.

Gina Morris told The Vindicator she came home from work to find her door ajar, her house ransacked and the four puppies missing.

A woman who purchased a dog on Facebook for $250 realized it looked like one of Morris’ and contacted her.

Morris noticed one of her dogs posted Friday to a Facebook buy, sell, trade group.

Police found another puppy Sunday during a traffic stop.

Officers pulled over Nicholas Duecaster, 22, of Valerie Drive for driving with a suspended license.

In addition to five bags of marijuana and two Tramadol pills, officers saw a small pitbull puppy in a cage in the car, according to a report.

Police matched the puppy to pictures Morris had posted on social media.

Duecaster told police he bought the dog Friday for $250 from a man on South Avenue. The man selling the dog had another similar dog, Duecaster told police.

Morris picked the dog up from Animal Charity.

Police arrested Duecaster for possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana.

His passenger Andre Laury, 21, of Tyrell Avenue also received a summons for possession of marijuana.

Morris said she’s glad to be reunited with her puppies.

“They were very happy to get reunited with her mama,” she said.

She said she’s hopeful she’ll find the remaining two.

One, Remy, is a blue brindle with a bluish spot on his head between his ears, and the other, Nova, is a black brindle with a white stripe on her nose.

Morris said she’s working with detectives to pursue charges against the man who posted the dogs on Facebook.