Gainesville woman arrested after allegedly trying to get money from owner of stolen dog

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Grace Nia Smith, 27, has been arrested for grand theft and fraud after allegedly trying to get money from the owner of a stolen dog.

On June 11, 2024, a certified Husky named Rudie, valued at $3,000, was let out and did not return. The owner posted pictures on social media, and a woman who said her name was Grace called the owner. She reportedly sent the owner pictures of Rudie and a list of expenses she had incurred while caring for Rudie for no more than eight days.

The following items were on the list, with a total of $400 listed at the bottom:

• “Apollo”
• Cage 112
• Food 85
• Leash 20
• A/C 67
• 3 cases eggs 10
• Gas 32 issued 6/19
• Blanket 12
• Brush 15
• Pet fee 100
• Shots 60

Rudie’s owner reportedly agreed to pay the $400 but asked for receipts, then gave the receipts to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy after reporting that the dog had been stolen. The receipts were from PetSmart and showed the last four digits of the purchaser’s credit card number. The deputy reviewed video from PetSmart and saw two women purchase items with that credit card.

Despite the owner’s pleas to return the dog, he was never returned, and “Grace” stopped responding to the owner.

On June 22, a deputy called the phone number that “Grace” had used; the woman who answered said she was Grace but denied any involvement with the missing dog. She also said she had never been to Florida.

After extensive investigation that included waiting for responses to subpoenas, the deputy learned on January 7 that Grace lives in Gainesville, less than half a mile from Rudie’s owner. The deputy knocked on her door on January 8, and Alexandria James answered and brought Smith to the door. When the deputy said he was there to question her about the dog, Smith reportedly said, “The Husky” and refused to say any more. She was placed under arrest.

James reportedly said she and Smith had spoken with Rudie’s owner on multiple occasions. Post Miranda, James reportedly said Rudie ran away about three days after Smith first called his owner. She reportedly identified her voice in an audio recording with Rudie’s owner and identified Smith as the woman who had answered the deputy’s initial call; she said Smith wrote the list of expenses, but they both provided input. She said she does not know where the dog is now.

The deputy noted that the list “was mostly fraudulent and they did not have to pay for most of the items on the list.”

The deputy noted that he would be filing a sworn complaint against James because of her cooperation, but that has not yet been filed in the court system. He also wrote that both women engaged “in a course of conduct with the intent to defraud the victim under false pretenses and would not return Rudie upon request,” so he charged them with grand theft and scheming to defraud.

Smith has no criminal history. Judge Adam Lee set bail at $5,000, and Smith has been released on bail.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.