It’s a bad idea to burglarize a place marked “K-9 training facility.”
Police dog handlers arriving Wednesday at the abandoned nursing home where they hold training sessions discovered two men and a woman dismantling the building’s copper pipes and wiring, Hall County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kiley Sargent said.
When the officers arrived, the three dropped their tools and ran. That was their second mistake.
“For anyone to try to run from a whole unit of canines, it’s just a no-win situation,” Sargent said.
Pamela Puckett, 37, quickly surrendered. Marc Black, 18, was tracked to a trash bin behind a nearby convenience store. Paul Perry, 39, was treated for a superficial dog bite just below the buttocks after his arrest, authorities said.
Signs outside the northern Georgia facility warn, “Caution!!! Gainesville Police Department K-9 training facility — Keep Out.”
“It’s not like it was a secret,” Sargent said. “I guess someone who is that determined to steal something might not pay attention.”
High copper prices in recent years have led to thieves breaking into power plants and abandoned factories to rip out the wiring.
Perry of Gainesville and Puckett and Black of nearby Braselton were charged with burglary, Sargent said. Perry and Black also face misdemeanor obstruction charges.
All three remained in custody Friday. Jail officials had no information on whether any had lawyers.