Crime & Safety
Dog Reunited With Owner After Fake Death, Missouri Court Battle
An animal rescue director decided to keep Mack the dog for himself, told his owner he had died and gave her a box of ashes.
PERRYVILLE, MO — A dog who was the subject of a two-year court battle and a faked death is back with his adopted family in Missouri.
KSDK-TV reports that Jamie Patterson and her seven kids adopted Mack the boxer-mastiff mix from Rough Road Rescue in Perryville in 2015.
It turned out that Mack was quite the escape artist. The last time he wandered off, Rough Road Rescue director Steve Svehla found him and decided to keep him, accusing Patterson of neglect.
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A two-year court battle ensued. The courts sided with Patterson.
But instead of handing over Max, Svehla gave Patterson a box of ashes, saying the dog died.
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He eventually fessed up to the lie, and gave up the dog.
Svehla is charged with theft for failing to turn over Mack immediately after the case ended.
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