At least a half-dozen people have been swindled out of thousands of dollars and their family dogs by an unlicensed Wilmington dog trainer who may have fled the state, say police.
Wilmington and state police issued arrest warrants for 42-year-old James Whitten on felony charges of theft, two other felonies and two misdemeanors, reports The News Journal.
Whitten ran A Bad Dog No More dog training business in Wilmington (which still has an active website) and on multiple occasions customers allegedly saw no improvement in their dogs’ behavior or never saw their dogs again.
Among Whitten’s victims was John and Rachel Johnson of Baltimore, who brought their two dogs to Whitten and paid him $500 to train them. Not long after, Whitten stopped returning the Johnsons’ phone calls. John took a trip up to Whitten’s house only to find it empty and his two dogs gone, John Johnson told NBC Philadelphia.
SPCA officials later found the Johnsons’ white pit bull terrier and black Cane Corso were later found at a house owned by an unnamed man who said he found the dogs wandering around.
Karen Draikos of Frankford was another victim. Draikos left her purebred German shepherd Zoe with Whitten in January, only to have both Whitten and the dog completely disappear after Whitten made various excuses as to why the dog wasn’t ready to go home, Draikos told the New Journal.
“I thought that maybe he hit her and killed her, or she got attacked by another dog," Draikos said. "I'm not concerned about the money. I just want my dog to be safe and not hurt. I hope that she is somewhere where she's safe."
Whitten’s neighbors told the News Journal that he and his family allegedly moved out of his house early March 15 with nine dogs.
Some dog owners, including the Johnsons, got their dogs back through the SPCA, which had rescued six in December from poor conditions in Whitten’s house.
But a Dover man discovered his 2-year-old Rottweiler was sold to a Shreveport, La., woman on Craigslist, says the News Journal. The new owner did not want to give the stolen dog back, so the Dover resident drove all the way to Louisiana to retrieve his pet. He brought the dog home Tuesday.
According to The New Journal, Whitten has a long criminal history, which includes being convicted of kidnapping, unlawful sexual intercourse and unlawful imprisonment in 1990.
