WeHo Residents Band Together to Stop Dognapper

A group of West Hollywood residents have banded together to try to stop a man who allegedly is stealing dogs and selling them or trying to extort rewards from their owners.

The man, who the residents have identified as Donnel Nelson, is African-American and apparently homeless. The residents, who live north of Fountain Avenue between La Cienega and Crescent Heights boulevards, have posted sightings of the man on Nextdoor, a neighborhood website. In one posting a resident said the man has been seen sleeping in empty buildings on Fairfax Avenue south of Fountain. They also have put up posters with a photo of the man in various places

One of the neighbors, Angela Stimson, told WEHOville that Nelson was arrested last year for stealing a dog outside of Whole Foods on Santa Monica Bouelvard between Fairfax and Orange Grove avenues. That theft was caught on a security camera, and Nelson was arrested after trying to collect a reward from the dog’s owner.

In June Nelson  was spotted on Orange Grove Avenue with an emaciated German shepherd. According to a resident who confronted him then, Nelson said he was training the dog to fight and was not giving it food or water. Local residents confronted Nelson and took the dog away from him.

According to Stinson, Nelson was spotted by one of her neighbors on Jan. 28 outside the 7-Eleven store on Santa Monica Boulevard at Laurel. “He was standing outside with a bulldog that had obviously just had puppies,” Stinson said in a post on Nextdoor. “He was dragging it along with a thick chain around his neck. My neighbor had seen our posters and confronted him while calling the Sherrif. Nelson ran off with the bulldog while dropping a bag of crystal meth.”

Stimson also said Nelson has been seen carrying a possum in a knapsack. “Whenever I walk my dog he has approached me and says ‘Can I buy your dog?'” she said.

Stimson said Sheriff’s deputies initially were unhelpful when residents approached them. “They could not have been less interested,” she said. But then the neighbors agreed to “bombard” the Sheriff’s Station with complaints, she said. Stinson and others held a meeting last Wednesday at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station. Stinson said the deputy involved in the meeting was “incredibly helpful … They seem to be really on it.”

Lt. Dave Smith of the Sheriff’s Station explained to WEHOville that deputies are unable to arrest a suspect without a complaint from someone that his or her dog has been stolen. Without such a complaint there is no evidence that deputies can act on. However Smith said the Sheriff’s Station is aware of the situation and is keeping an eye on the man.

The residents have warned one another not to leave their dogs tied up outside stores or restaurants, leaving them vulnerable to theft. Anyone who is missing a dog is asked to call the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station at (310) 855-8850.