By Erik Burgess
The Forum of Fargo/Moorhead
MOORHEAD – Who let the dog out?
Police say a 22-year-old Barnesville man illegally did so last week.
Hunter Lee Briscoe was charged with felony burglary after allegedly breaking his pooch out of the pound and then bragging about it on Facebook, according to a criminal complaint filed in Clay County District Court on Monday.
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Briscoe was told last week to pay $35 to free his dog from the pound after Barnesville police caught the animal running around town.
Briscoe told police he would not pay the fees and instead would steal his dog from the pound, according to t0he complaint.
Last Friday, the day after the dog was impounded, the animal control officer discovered the animal was missing from the city-owned shed where it was being held.
A witness told police that Briscoe was bragging on Facebook that he had stolen the dog from the pound, the complaint states. Police found the Facebook posting, which included a photo of Briscoe and the dog and an explanation of how he freed the pooch.
Briscoe was arrested shortly after, and during transport to the police station, he confessed to breaking into the city shed and stealing the dog back, the complaint states.
Briscoe, who was awarded a public defender on Monday, was charged with third-degree felony burglary, which has a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He also faces a misdemeanor theft charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Briscoe has two previous felony convictions in Clay County – theft in 2011 and fleeing a police officer in 2013, according to online court records. He was also convicted of damaging property in 2011, and disorderly conduct in 2013, both misdemeanors.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Erik Burgess at (701) 241-5518
