Poker professional Bart Hanson was dealt a nightmare over the past month, and lately shared the unusual and terrifying story involving a girl who’s alleged to have uncared for his canine, which in the end died.
Hanson and his spouse obtained the French bulldog, named Charlie, whereas dwelling in Austin, Texas, a couple of years in the past earlier than transferring to the Boston space within the city of North Reading. The household determined to get the canine some coaching.
According to Hanson, he employed a girl named “Lily” by way of the app Thumbtack for $1,500. She would board the canine in Connecticut and return it a pair weeks later. The couple acquired some every day textual content updates in regards to the canine’s progress in addition to some photographs. Nothing raised alarms, however when the date got here to return the canine “Lily” knowledgeable him that the canine was gone.
“My wife tried to get some information and it was very, very vague on the details,” Hanson mentioned on his YouTube channel. “She just kept saying she doesn’t know how it happened. She was broken down on the side of the road, it was dark … and she doesn’t know if Charlie might have jumped out the window because her windows were down in her Tesla.”
Murky Details
After that, Hanson continued making an attempt to contact “Lily” after coming back from a enterprise journey to Los Angeles. The story simply didn’t appear so as to add up and the coach had gone incommunicado. Hanson then contacted police, and instructed them there could have been a rip-off to steal his pet since French bulldogs are dear breeds.
Lily later referred to as him and went right into a rambling story about her automobile breaking down in Royalston, Massachusetts, and her insurance coverage firm, Hanson mentioned. She couldn’t give an actual location of the breakdown or what truly occurred. He requested her to contact the North Reading police officer he spoke with earlier.
Police later instructed Hanson she did name however was obscure in regards to the state of affairs. Law enforcement started investigating and later found that her actual title was Josephine Ragland.
Hanson and his spouse headed to the overall space in Royalston to seek for the canine and likewise contacted the native animal management, police, and state police. He additionally contacted towing corporations and will discover no information of a Tesla being towed.
Scam Uncovered
After some analysis, Hanson found Ragland had a historical past of accepting canine for coaching and never returning them. He started to have a nasty feeling about the complete situation.
“I’m hyper diligent against scams,” Hanson mentioned. “I just thought it was just some crazy woman who was making up a story about losing the dog.”
After contacting legislation enforcement once more with every little thing he’d discovered about Ragland, police questioned her and Ragland admitted she’d spent most of her time at a on line casino and that the canine collapsed whereas she was playing. They later discovered Charlie’s lifeless, emaciated physique in woods close to her dad and mom’ Connecticut dwelling.
A necropsy decided the canine most likely died of warmth stroke and had misplaced 25% of his physique weight in 5 days. Police additionally discovered 4 different canine at Ragland’s dwelling nonetheless alive and returned them to their homeowners. They imagine she uncared for the canine with no intention to coach them in any respect.
Ragland used the funds from her fake coaching enterprise to play poker money video games and craps at Mohegan Sun on line casino, in response to authorities. That was a little bit of an irony to Hanson, who’s a poker coach, commentator, and professional himself.
“She was on a bender at the casino, at Mohegan Sun,” Hanson mentioned. “As a sick, twisted coincidence to this entire story, I am a professional poker player and am somewhat known in the gambling industry. She said that she played poker cash games for profit, and craps. I giggle at that, because anybody that knows gambling knows you can’t play craps for profit. But poker cash games? I teach people how to play cash games. She was going to the casino before and after work, because she was on this bender, and not taking care of these dogs.”
The suspect now faces felony larceny and obstruction of justice, in response to CBS News Boston. Possible prices may be coming in a California case as properly. Hanson praised police and animal management for his or her efforts.
“Law enforcement really were unbelievable in this case, doing really good work,” he mentioned.
While Charlie could also be gone, Hanson is completely happy the complete ordeal is over and that Ragland at the least could not have the ability to make the most of anybody else or mistreat any extra canine. He’s already had others come ahead and is hoping extra victims will converse out.
“As I told my wife, I now look at Charlie as a hero,” he mentioned, “and I really hope his death is not in vain.”