Derby police have filed charges against a Stratford woman who allegedly gave her husband’s dog away but then claimed it had been stolen from the Home Depot parking lot last month.
In a prepared statement issued Monday (April 15) afternoon, Lt. Justin Stanko said Carolyn Novotny, 65, surrendered to police after learning an arrest warrant had been issued in connection to the case.
Novotny was charged Monday with one count each of second-degree falsely reporting an incident and second-degree interfering with an officer, both misdemeanors.
She was released after posting a $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear at Superior Court in Derby April 25.
Stanko declined to comment on the case further when reached by phone.
Background
The Novotny family of Stratford said Bella, their 7‑year-old yellow lab, was stolen from the family’s car while parked at the Home Depot on Main Street March 11.
The family posted information about the alleged theft on “See, Click, Fix“ and the Valley Indy first reported the allegations March 13.
William Novotny told the Valley Indy at the time that his wife had gone into Home Depot for about 10 minutes to make a purchase. When she returned, the dog was gone, but the animal’s chain collar had been neatly left behind.
The owners worked tirelessly on social media to locate the dog. They created a Facebook page called “Bring Bella Home,” where Bella’s story was shared thousands of times.
The family placed “missing” fliers throughout the area and offered a reward for information leading to the dog’s return.
On March 28, the family reported that Bella had been safely returned. The dog was allegedly found wandering the Interstate 84 area in the Hartford area by a family who wished to remain anonymous, Novotny told the Valley Indy last month.
That wasn’t true.
A Simsbury family claimed they got Bella off Craigslist.
Novotny told the Valley Indy April 3 his family had recently moved to a condo from a single-family home. His wife has some health problems and felt the family could no longer properly care for Bella.
Novotny said his wife knew he would oppose giving the animal away — so she secretly placed an ad on Craigslist and offered the dog for free.
She then concocted the Home Depot story as a cover, he said, after which he contacted the family who had Bella and gave them $750 for the dog’s return.
William Novotny declined to comment on the case when reached by phone Monday.
He said April 3 that Bella was still with the family and doing well.
