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Sunnyvale's beloved pet returned after dog sitter foils extortion plot
Three years ago, "Norm," a bearded Collie, went from being a child’s Christmas gift, to a lynch-pin member of this family foursome.
SUNNYVALE, Calif. - Three years ago, "Norm," a bearded Collie, went from being a child’s Christmas gift to a lynch-pin member of this family foursome.
His name comes from a character popular in the 1980s sitcom, "Cheers!"
Monday evening, the dog with a person’s personality went missing.
"It’s one of those feel-good news stories because it has a happy ending. But the reality of it as it was happening was completely different," said Lindsey, last name withheld, the dog’s co-owner.
She and her husband, Zak, and their 10-year-old daughter, were in the Central Valley on vacation at the time. Norm was staying with a dog sitter in Sunnyvale, and wandered away through a gate left open by a delivery person.
"I’m dog sitting and trying to be responsible for somebody’s family member, and the dog’s not only missing but being held for ransom," said the sitter, asking KTVU to conceal her identity due to safety concerns.
Sunnyvale police said Zak and Lindsey were called by Ahmed Rahish Najib, who told them he had found Norm near their Sunnyvale home. But his initial offer to return the pet turned into an attempted extortion.
"He says no, I’ve changed my mind. I’m taking him to my house. And if you don’t Zelle me a thousand dollars, you’ll never see him again," said Zak, re-living the anxiety of that fateful moment.
Man arrested for alleged extortion involving Sunnyvale family's lost dog
A man was arrested for allegedly trying to extort money from a family in Sunnyvale to return their lost dog, the city's Department of Public Safety said Wednesday.
Zak called the frantic dog sitter, as the family drove home. She engaged Najib in a three-hour text conversation and promised to fork over $300 in cash and $200 via the Zelle app. But it was all a ploy.
"My biggest goal in speaking with him, texting with him was to just keep the conversation going, try to establish a rapport, so I had a better chance or the police could get involved," she said.
Added Kevin Morton, a police officer with the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety, "I’m a big dog guy. So I was immediately motivated to help them out and find the dog."
Around 10:30 p.m., and with police nearby, the dog sitter met the suspect, with Norm in tow.
Sunnyvale police then moved in to make the arrest and recover the dog.
"I never felt safe until we did get that, ‘we got ‘em,’" said Zak.
Najib posted $20,000 bail and was released from the main Santa Clara County Jail Tuesday night. He’s scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 11 on charges including extortion and grand theft.
Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on Twitter, @JesseKTVU and on Instagram, @jessegontv.