MOULTRIE, Ga. — What had shaped up to be a romantic stroll through a field turned ugly when the canine couple disappeared.

The plot turned thicker when a woman returned the male dog but refused to give any information about the whereabouts of his lady dog friend, according to the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office.

It all started on Saturday when Kerianne Johnson dropped off her blue nose pit bull to hang out with another dog on Grady Matthews Road. That day the last time anyone saw the two dogs they were playing around a field. The dogs had done the same thing in the past, but on Saturday they never returned to the residence.

On Saturday night the owner of the male dog posted about the missing dogs on Facebook, and on Sunday a man called saying he knew where the dogs were located.

On Monday,  police said, a woman called the homeowner and asked for information to ensure that the dogs actually belonged to the two owners. Both sent photos of their dogs to the woman.

On Tuesday, a woman who identified herself as Staci returned the male dog to its owner at a location in Moultrie, but refused to return the other dog. She reportedly told him that the owner of the female dog could not take care of it and that she had given it to an animal rescue center that she refused to identify.

Later in the conversation, however, the woman admitted that if the female dog is pregnant she is to get some of the puppies, indicating that she still had the dog or knew where it was, police said.

Johnson estimated the dog’s value at $500.

In other investigations

• George Hicks, 400 block Seminole Drive, reported Wednesday the theft of a Dewitt circular saw, tile saw and stand, leaf blower, weed trimmer, hunting bow, three-ton tank, two screw guns, nailing framing gun and four lawn chairs with a total value of $2,006.

Moultrie Police

• Badcock Furniture, 404 Lane St., reported Wednesday the theft of property valued at $4,250.

Burglary

Sheriff’s Office

• William Vinson, 100 block Son Norman Road, reported Tuesday a break-in of his shed.

Among the $204 in property stolen were a Champion generator, two bottle jacks and two Red Cross blankets.

Entering auto

Sheriff’s Office

Holly Ballard, 500 block Summerlin Road, reported Tuesday the theft of $200, a gold band diamond ring, a watch, hunting knife, miscellaneous tools and a 12-pack of Dr. Pepper soda with a total value of $8,346 from a 2011 Jeep Wrangler.

Ballard told police that she left the door of the car unlocked.

Arrests

Moultrie Police

• Priscilla Esquivel, 25, 310-B Seventh Ave. N.W., was charged Tuesday with two counts of battery.

• Maria Elena Flores, 36, 1412 Seventh Ave. S.W., was charged Wednesday with theft by shoplifting.

• Christopher Yon Brannon, 40, 306 Ninth St. S.W., was charged Wednesday with bail jumping.

Berlin Police

• Sawanda Victoria Palmer, 43, was charged Thursday with failure to appear.

Sheriff’s Office

• Justin Andrew Fritz, 1330 U.S. Hwy. 319, Norman Park, was charged Wednesday with bail jumping.

Probation violation

Moultrie Police

• Kevin Maurice Clark, 36, 413 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Apt. B.

• James Nkrumah Gibson, 47, 1036 Second St. N.E.

• Jesse Duane Hutchinson, 38, 506 Clarence Jones Road.

• Nicholas Alexander Scott, 25, 123 Flint Lane, Sylvester.

• Michael Anthony Martin Jr., 36, 524-B First Ave. N.W.

• Justin Ray Collins, 26, 1722 Hutchinson Drive.

Sheriff’s Office

• Donnie Ray Herndon, 29, 223 Bonnie Tuk Road.

Fraud

Sheriff’s Office

• Mildred Beltran, 400 block Lane Road, reported Wednesday that someone used his debit card information to make a payment of $805.

Battery

Sheriff’s Office

• Van Suber, 800 block Wilburn Murphy Road, reported Wednesday that a male family member hit him in the head several times with a small flashlight during an argument.

Suber told police that his attacker threatened to damage his car and that when he tried to stop him from doing so. After Suber fell to the ground the man continued to hit and kick him.

Suber had a small laceration on the back of the head, scrapes on his left elbow and right arm and a small laceration on the right foot, police said. Emergency medical personnel checked and released Suber.

His assailant left before police arrived.

Property damage

Sheriff’s Office

• Michael Peacock, 600 block Old Berlin Road, reported Wednesday that a boy shot his car with a BB pistol while he was driving in the 3000 block of Sylvester Drive.

Peacock spoke with two boys, one of whom admitted firing the pistol. He did not press charges. Police spoke to the boys and their parents about the incident.

Other investigations

Moultrie Police

• Laura Chavez, 48, Moultrie, reported illegal dumping at La Reyna grocery, 524 Third Ave. S.E.