Delivery driver charged with stealing cat from Watertown home

He had a change of heart and let it go "somewhere outside Watertown," the charges said.

January 5, 2020 at 12:38AM
Dot the cat was taken from a house in Watetown Township and released near Watertown; he's still missing.
Dot the cat was taken from a house in Watetown Township and released near Watertown; he's still missing. (Marci Schmitt/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A truck driver who made a delivery last fall to a Carver County home and allegedly took off with the resident's cat has been charged with misdemeanor theft and animal abandonment.

Byron Thomas Vieau took an interest in Dot, a black and white, long-haired male cat, when he stopped at a home in the 2600 block of County Road 127 in Watertown Township around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 10, the charges said.

The homeowner looked for the 12-year-old feline after the driver left but could not find him. The homeowner reported the cat missing.

Vieau later confessed to snatching the cat, who has a microchip identifier in his shoulder, the charges state. He had a change of heart and let it go "somewhere outside Watertown," the charges said.

As of Saturday, the 14-pound cat has not been found, the Carver County Sheriff's Office said.

Anybody with information in the case is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 952-361-1212.

about the writer

Tim Harlow

Reporter

Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather. 

See More