TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee woman has been arrested, accused of kicking in the door of a home, stealing electronics, and stabbing a dog.
Jamie Lee Hotson, 20, was arrested on Monday.
The victims reported the incident on Sunday, saying that their television and two game consoles had been taken from their home while they were away.
They told deputies that their dog had been locked inside the house when they left, but was found outside with a puncture wound to its neck when they returned. Deputies note the wound was consistent with a stab wound from a small knife.
Before the incident, witnesses outside the victim's home said they had noticed four unknown suspects walking up and down the victim's street looking at the home.
The witnesses gave detailed descriptions of each of the four suspects, who eventually walked to the liquor store at 7115 Blountstown Highway, and the details of one person matched the description of Hotson.
Reviewing the liquor store's security footage, the investigator took a picture of the female from it and returned to the victim, who identified the person as Hotson.
According to a probable cause document, Hotson initially told a Leon County Sheriff's Office investigator during an interview that she had been home all day, except to go to a Time Saver store.
But after the investigator showed her a photo of her in the liquor store, Hotson started to cry and said she would tell them everything.
She said told them that the victim had stolen several hundred dollars from her a couple of days earlier. Hotson said she then went to the victim's house to confront her about the theft of money.
Because no one answered her knocks on the victim's door, Hotson said she kicked in the door to try to find the victim.
In the victim's bedroom, Hotson said she failed to find the alleged stolen money, so she took their electronics instead and left through the back door.
When asked where the electronics were now, Hotson told the investigator she hid the electronics in her bedroom. Investigators later retrieved a small flatscreen television, an Xbox 360, and a PS4 from Hotson's home.
When asked about injuries to the victim's dog, Hotson denied hurting the animal. Hotson repeatedly said she acted alone and no one else assisted her in the incident.
Based on the evidence, deputies found probable cause to charge Hotson with burglary, grand theft and animal cruelty.
After being arrested, she was booked into the Leon County Detention Center on a $13,500 bond. As of Tuesday, she remains in jail.
