SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — Southaven Police are on the lookout Courtney Leigh Knight.
Sherri Smith went to police to sign an affidavit for Knight’s arrest.
Smith and others believe Knight is breaking the law and scamming pet lovers in the process.
She told WREG she was searching for a puppy as a gift for her husband for their 39th wedding anniversary when she ran across pictures on Facebook from Knight.
She said Knight’s posts on Facebook, mainly on various re-sale and group pages, showed pictures of puppies that were supposedly for sale.
Smith said she met Knight in a public parking lot in Southaven and made a $150 deposit for a puppy she’s yet to see.
“I texted the girl and I said, have we got a problem? You know, I’ve been told you’re a scammer. Oh no, no, no, no, I wouldn’t do that,” Smith told WREG.
Yet, re-sale groups and consumers are posting warnings about Knight on Facebook.
They believe she’s lifting pictures from breeders and uses different aliases.
Lieutenant Mark Little of the Southaven Police Department spoke with the On Your Side Investigators.
“She’ll get as many payments of deposit as she can without producing the product, or the puppy, and she’ll just move on to the next victim,” Lt. Little said of what they’ve been hearing.
The On Your Side Investigators talked to consumers in Memphis, Mississippi and as far as West Virginia.
We spoke with Sharon Nutter via Skype who said she paid Knight two deposits via Western Union worth $200.
“I kept trying to message her and ask her, send me a picture of the puppy, how’s the puppy doing, and all this and I never got a response,” she said. “It really broke my heart to know that she did that, to take advantage of me wanting a dog, a puppy so much.”
The On Your Side Investigators tried contacting Knight with cell phone numbers she’d given customers.
We also checked out an address in Courtland, Mississippi listed for Knight.
A man who identified himself as a relative told us Knight was living in or near Memphis.
Lt. Little said they’re waiting on some additional information regarding Knight’s whereabouts, but in the meantime, the story serves as a warning.
“If you wire money to somebody that you don’t know or you haven’t done your homework on, that is a risk you have to be willing to take of losing that money,” he said.
Smith said she doesn’t care about the money, it’s simply the principle.
“I’d like for her to be caught,” she told WREG.
If Southaven police catch up with Knight, she’ll be charged with a misdemeanor of false pretense and bond would be set at $700.
Katie Pemberton with the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County told WREG social media can be great for finding lost pets or for families who need to find their pet a new home.
However, she doesn’t recommend using such sites for finding a pet.
She encourages potential pet owners to consider adoption first.
She said if adoption isn’t possible, and someone is looking for a specific type of dog, they should contact a reputable breeder.
Pemberton also said people should be able to see the dog’s parents and assess his/her living conditions prior to the sale.