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A man who allegedly stole seven puppies in a Maryland county had pretended to purchase them before returning for the theft, according to charging documents obtained by WJZ.

Charging documents say 28-year-old Kahili Hines stole the puppies from a Harford County apartment before selling them outside of Arundel Mills Mall.

“In my experience, we have not had a theft involving a litter of puppies, so this was definitely unique,” said Aberdeen Police Captain Will Reiber.

Hines is facing charges of burglary and theft.  

Reiber told WJZ this theft is unlike any case he’s seen before.

“Our detectives, through the course of the investigation, were able to narrow down a suspect, and through that it was determined that the dogs were potentially sold in the area of Arundel Mills Mall in Anne Arundel County,” Reiber said.

The alleged puppy theft

On Nov. 14, the alleged victim, who was selling the puppies for his sister, got a call from an acquaintance about her nephew wanting to purchase one of the puppies, according to charging documents.

The two came over to see the animals, and the nephew, identified as Hines, said he had to leave to get money to pay for the puppy.

According to the documents, the victim then fell asleep, and when he woke up hours later, “he observed all seven puppies, along with the mother dog, missing from his apartment.”

“The relationships between animals and humans, it’s a very strong bond,” Reiber said. “And I can only imagine as a dog owner myself what it would feel like to go through that separation from your puppy, something you’ve just brought into the world and want to sell and do the best for.”

On Nov. 30, the victim, the victim’s sister, and the acquaintance all FaceTimed, and the acquaintance told them her nephew had the puppies, according to charging documents.

Weeks later, the victim identified Hines as the man who came to his apartment showing interest in the puppies on Nov. 14.

Puppies sold outside of Maryland mall

Hines was arrested and told investigators he sold the puppies from a wagon outside of Arundel Mills Mall.

“We believe those puppies are still out there,” Reiber said. “We are not trying to recover the dogs and take them from the new relationships that have been formed. The owner of the puppies just wants to make sure the puppies have found a safe home and also we would love to get the details form anyone that purchased a puppy to find out where the animal was purchased, and more details into how they came into possession of the dog.”

Anyone with information should call the Aberdeen Police Department.