$18,000 in checks stolen from Dogwood Animal Rescue
Crime was discovered this week and investigated by the Santa Rosa Police
Dogwood Animal Rescue, just south of Sebastopol, has been the victim of a stolen check scheme, operated out of a UPS Mailbox Store at 1415 Fulton Road in Santa Rosa. On Tuesday, Feb. 11, the Santa Rosa Police Department (SRPD) began an investigation into a large-scale theft of donations intended for the nonprofit.
Dogwood founder Shirley Zindler first got wind of the scam earlier this week.
“Someone reached out for a donation receipt, and we had never gotten a check, and we asked her to see if it had been cashed and it had—and that’s when it started,” Zindler said, referring to the investigation into the missing checks.
According to an SRPD press release, Dogwood had recently been contacted by two separate donors inquiring about donation receipts for checks they mailed to the organization’s mailbox at the UPS Store on Fulton Road. In both cases, the donation checks had been deposited into the account of a person not employed by or known to Dogwood Animal Rescue.
On Feb. 12, detectives with the SRPD Property Crimes Investigations began investigating this case further. They were able to confirm that the suspect in this case, Jennifer Chenier, a 36-year-old Santa Rosa resident, was employed at the UPS Store and would have access to the mailbox rented by Dogwood Animal Rescue.
As their investigation continued, they developed probable cause to arrest Chenier for a variety of crimes associated with the theft of donation checks. Shortly before 3 pm on Feb. 12, Chenier was arrested by plainclothes detectives at her workplace.
Detectives worked quickly to author search warrants for Chenier and her property, residence and vehicle. To prevent the destruction of evidence, SRPD officers secured Chenier’s purse and her residence in the 2200 block of Dancing Penny Way, until the search warrants could be reviewed by a Superior Court Judge. Shortly before 7 pm, the SRPD Property Crimes Investigations team served the search warrants.
In Chenier’s purse, detectives located just under $7,000 in cash and six checks payable to Dogwood Animal Rescue. At Chenier’s residence, detectives located an additional 24 checks payable to the nonprofit organization. The donations from the 30 recovered checks totaled over $18,000.
“We are pretty stunned to be honest,” said Zindler, who runs Dogwood Animal Rescue out of her home. “We’re just plugging along, trying to save animals, and it’s so discouraging that people are so deceitful and dishonest—I mean literally taking money from orphaned puppies.”
Zindler said veterinary bills for Dogwood can run as high as $40,000 a month, so they need every penny.
“One broken leg can easily be five to $10,000. So things add up really quick,” she said.
Dogwood Animal Rescue in Sonoma County is a volunteer-driven nonprofit that focuses on rescuing and re-homing animals in need. Their mission includes providing medical care, promoting spay/neuter programs, and offering ongoing support to ensure that animals find loving homes. The organization has over 200 dedicated volunteers, many from Sebastopol.
“As much as we’re shocked at this one deceitful person, we’re so thankful for all the people that are looking out for us and trying to make a difference and help animals. But it’s definitely discouraging.”
It is unknown at this time how long Chenier had been stealing checks from Dogwood Animal Rescue or how many other mailbox customers may have also been victimized at the Santa Rosa UPS location.
According to the SRPD press release, police located evidence of mail from other rented mailboxes at the UPS Store where Chenier was employed. Police also found an illegal firearm—a short-barreled Colt M4 fully automatic military assault rifle and silencer—at the suspect’s address.
Chenier was booked into Sonoma County Jail for the following charges: grand theft, felony; felony forgery; felony identity theft; felony commercial burglary; felony possession of personal identification information for 10 or more individuals with the intent to defraud. she is also being charged with possession of an assault rifle, possession of a machine gun, possession of a short-barreled rifle, possession of a silencer, and narcotics addict in possession of a firearm.
If you rent a mailbox from this location or have sent financial documents such as checks to a mailbox at the UPS Mailbox Store at 1415 Fulton Road in Santa Rosa, the SRPD encourages you to check your financial records for suspicious or fraudulent activity. If you believe you are a victim of theft of finances or real property related to Chenier’s suspected actions, you are encouraged to contact the SRPD Property Crimes Tipline at 707-543-3575. When you contact SRPD, please provide your contact information, a summary of your victimization, and be able to provide supporting documents such as copies of canceled checks and/or other financial records.
For more information about Dogwood Animal Rescue, see their website, where you can donate securely online.
Please follow up. Is the suspect in custody or out on bail? What was the bail amount? Have criminal charges been filed? Which charges? When is the next court date? Who’s the judge handling the case?
Wow, you would expect a place like that to have vetted their employees.