3 Women Charged with Stealing Puppy from Pets, Inc.

Deputies arrested three women Wednesday who they say stole a puppy from the Pets, Inc. adoption center in West Columbia.

Amanda Kay Cirmella, 26, of Leesville, Megan Marie Howard, 22, of Aiken and Brittany Leigh Yontz, 19, of Gilbert are charged with petit larceny, according to the Lexington County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies say that around 12:32 p.m. on July 9 Yontz, who was accompanied by Cirmella and Howard, went to Pets, Inc. at 300 Orchard Drive and took a 6-week-old beagle-mix puppy without paying the adoption fee. 

The three women were captured on surveillance video leaving Pets, Inc. with the puppy, according to the sheriff's department.Pets, Inc. shared the surveillance video earlier this week in an effort to catch the women. 

The beagle-mix puppy was returned to Pets, Inc. earlier this week, according to the sheriff's department. Deputies also say that the three women are friends who attend the same cosmetology school. 

Yontz, Cirmella and Howard were being held Wednesday at the Lexington County Detention Center awaiting bond hearings. 

Deputies are continuing to investigate the improper removal of a another puppy, a white-and-brown Saint Bernard, from the animal adoption center on July 8, according to the sheriff's department. That puppy was returned to the animal adoption center earlier this week. 

Anyone with information about the stolen Saint Bernard puppy should contact the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department at 803-785-8230 or Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.