CLEVELAND — Cleveland police are searching for a man who allegedly broke into a family's house and stole their dog.
According to a police report, on Oct. 4 around 2:30 p.m., a 24-year-old man walked his dog to a store near Wheelock Road and St. Clair Avenue and then tied her up outside while he went shopping inside.
Police said that while he was shopping, Herman Austin approached him, claiming that the dog was his and had been stolen, and threatened to have more people come to his house to take the dog.
According to the police report, Austin and two other men arrived at the 24-year-old man's home, grabbed folding chairs from the porch and used them to break the front window while the family was inside.
According to the family, the men pointed guns at them during the incident.
Police said the man handed the dog to Austin who reached in, grabbed the dog then walked away. The other two men left the home in a green SUV.
Anyone with information on Austin's location is asked to call the Cleveland police 5th District Detective Unit at 216-623-5500.
