NEWS

Morris Plains dog theft charge dismissed

Peggy Wright
@PeggyWrightDR

A Superior Court judge Wednesday administratively dismissed a theft charge that was filed against a Denville woman who was accused of stealing a 5-pound Maltese dog named Lilly she came across at the Morris Plains Post Office.

The dismissal of the theft charge against Vera Ippolito, 56, was made at the request of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

“They do not believe it was a criminal matter,” defense attorney Anthony Arbore said. “Obviously we thank the Prosecutor’s Office for taking a closer look at this and we’ve always been of the opinion it was a misunderstanding.”

Arbore said that Ippolito is a devout animal lover who has given thousands of dollars to the cause of abandoned animals and those in need of shelter.

Morris Plains detectives had charged Ippolito with theft of a domestic animal from its owner, who was identified in a criminal complaint only as R.H. The alleged crime is a third-degree offense, punishable upon conviction by up to five years in prison.

Lilly disappeared from her home in Morris Plains the afternoon of April 21, shortly after her owner brought the 8-year-old Maltese home from a grooming appointment. Lilly was let out into the yard and managed, without the owner’s knowledge, to crawl under a fence. The dog was not wearing tags or a collar when she left home, police said.

The dog wandered into the Morris Plains Post Office on Speedwell Avenue and witnesses later gave police a description of a woman who picked up the dog and left the post office. Shortly after the owner reported Lilly’s disappearance, police circulated a description and last known whereabouts of the canine.

Police had said that Lilly required medication for seizures. Borough Police Detective Bruce Rapp said police learned that Ippolito brought the dog for emergency medical treatment to a local animal clinic.

“While at the clinic it had been determined that further evaluation and possible treatments for Lilly could be expensive. At this time, a customer at the clinic agreed to pay any and all medical expenses for the dog, since she had recently experienced losing her last dog,” Rapp said.

Animal hospitals were in the process of being alerted about Lilly’s disappearance, and someone with knowledge of the dog being treated at the veterinary clinic alerted authorities.

Arbore said his client was only concerned about the dog’s welfare and took her to a veterinarian. Lilly was reunited with her owner by April 22, and Ippolito was charged with her theft two weeks later.

“My client thought the dog was lost or abandoned,” Arbore said.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@njpressmedia.com.