CORDOVA, TN - A Cordova woman says she thinks she saw Kapone, the 11-year-old pit bull that went missing from the Memphis Animal Shelter, in the backyard of animal control officer Demetria Hogan.
Hogan, arrested Wednesday, July 13, 2011, now faces two counts of cruelty to animals in connection with Kapone's disappearance.
"I heard a dog," says Hogan's neighbor, who didn't want to give her name, "and it shocked me because I didn't think she (Hogan) had a dog."
The neighbor spotted the dog the same day last month when Hogan picked up Kapone and another dog, Jersey, after they escaped from their Cordova backyard because the fence had been damaged during a storm.
For Brooke Shoup, Kapone's owner, the sighting might lead to clues, filling in blanks left open for weeks.
Shoup says witnesses told her they saw Hogan load both dogs into her truck. Shoup says knowing neither dog had tags or a collar, she went down to the shelter the next morning. She says she quickly spotted Jersey, but Kapone was nowhere to be found.
When shelter workers and management couldn't explain what happened to Kapone, Shoup filed a police report and called the media. Nearly three weeks later, Kapone is still missing and there are few clues.
Demetria Hogan has been in the news before. In April 2010, abc24.com reported that Hogan was hired at the shelter under the City of Memphis' Second Chance Program for convicted felons. And in May 2010, Shelter Advisory Board members told us Hogan had a history of not showing up for court, causing animal cruelty cases to be thrown out.
A tipline for information regarding Kapone's disappearance has been set up. Anyone with information is asked to call: (901)528-0699.
The reward to find Kapone is now $6,000.
