A Lake Panasoffkee couple has been arrested after a reported dispute over a Chihuahua ended with a 68-year-old man injured, according to Villages-News.com. The outlet says Randi Michelle Barnett, 40, and James Levi Dame, 41, are accused of entering the man’s camper at Sunny Shores RV Park on Sept. 17 and taking the dog.
The report says Barnett had given the Chihuahua, valued at $400, to the man to settle a debt tied to items Dame allegedly took from him. When the man asked for the dog back, Dame allegedly pushed him onto a bed, where he struck his arm and was injured. The outlet also reports that RV park office surveillance footage showed the pair leaving with the dog.
Charges and what remains unresolved
Villages-News reports that Barnett faces charges of theft from a person 65 or older and resisting an officer; she was held on $3,500 bond. Dame faces the theft charge and burglary with battery, and was held without bond. These are allegations, not findings of guilt. The report does not say whether the Chihuahua was recovered or describe any court decision over ownership.
What other cases and crime data can—and cannot—show
A separate case illustrates why alleged animal-taking incidents should be compared carefully: on April 8, 2026, CBS12 reported that Martin County authorities accused a woman of breaking into a Hobe Sound home and dragging out a crate containing a German Shepherd. That report said the dog was not hurt. The incidents differ in location and circumstances, and two cases do not establish a broader pattern.
Nor do the available statewide figures quantify pet theft specifically. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s 2021 county report groups offenses under broad categories such as burglary, larceny and theft; its displayed data cannot establish a statewide trend in pet theft.
