Detroit officers find 5-week-old puppy in thief’s pocket during arrest

Not your typical accomplice!

A Detroit area man was being patted down by cops on suspicion of theft when they found a gray-furred puppy with bright blue eyes zipped up in his pocket.

“I don’t think anybody at this department’s seen anything like it,” Roseville Police Chief Mitch Berlin told the Detroit Free Press.

The little pup, named Frappy, has since been returned to his partner-in-crime and police are unsure if Askin had the dog with him on the Jan. 16 heist.

Brian Askin, 24, is accused of stealing from a businessman who was doing a bank transaction at Comerica Bank, fleeing the scene with the stolen bag that contained $5,200.

He was found hours later with the dog in Detroit, “stunning” officers, Berlin said.

“I think the puppy got to the station before the suspect did, from what I heard,” Berlin said.

The chief said his officers took “extreme care” of the adorable puppy, who is a five-week-old female, and “kept it warm.”

The dog was later passed into animal control’s possession, where the little dog was named Bandit, until they later learned Askin had named the dog Frappy.

As for Askin, Berlin said “it was a crime of opportunity.”

“He grabbed it and was off to the races,” he told the Detroit Free Press.

Askin was charged with larceny and booked into county jail on a $20,000 bond. He has seen bailed out and has paid his impound fee. He does not face any animal neglect charges.

The alleged thief’s attorney, Robbie Lang, believes the dog was purchased a few days before the crime and doesn’t believe Frappy was with Askin during the theft.

The dog is not believed to have been harmed during the shakedown and was returned to his owner on Tuesday, according to Jeff Randazzo, Macomb County’s chief animal control officer.

Randazzo met with Askin after his release to talk about caring for the puppy and offered to help with vaccines and microchipping, the Detroit Free Press said.

Askin will return to court on Jan. 31.