RED WING, Minn. — A warrant was issued for a 37-year-old Minneapolis man accused of dognapping five French bulldogs and holding them for ransom, according to new charges filed in Goodhue County.

Mikiyel Deshone Patton is charged with felony theft with the intent to restore only for a reward. No court date has been set.

According to the criminal complaint:

The dog’s owner called the Cannon Falls Police Department on Dec. 2, to report that Patton had stolen the puppies, valued at $15,000 each, while she slept.

The complaint claims Patton put the puppies in a backpack earlier that morning and left her residence. Patton had agreed to take care of the dogs while he stayed at the owner’s house.

The owner contacted the department the next day to report that Patton had posted a picture of the puppies on Facebook, the complaint says. Patton also told the owner’s brother that he would only return the dogs if the owner paid him $20,000 that he was owed, the owner told police.

Patton also requested the owner stop sharing his photo because “he is a dangerous person,” the owner told police.

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