Pet theft scheme discovered during stop of stolen U-Haul full of malnourished dogs

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (KTRK) -- The discovery of malnourished dogs in The Woodlands led to the arrest of a woman who has hurt other dogs and scammed individuals, as a dog transporter.

A Montgomery County sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a stolen U-Haul truck in the 3000 block of College Park at about 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

During the traffic stop, the deputy made the gruesome discovery of multiple injured and malnourished dogs, one of which reportedly had a back injury with exposed flesh consistent with a chemical burn.

They located four dogs in kennels in the cargo area. They also located some marijuana in the driver's compartment of the vehicle, as well as the two occupants in the front," Sgt. Jason Smith, with Montgomery County Pct. 2 Constable's Office, said.

Precinct 2 investigates animal cruelty cases in Montgomery County, which is why they were called to this scene on Tuesday.

Smith said two of the dogs were in decent condition, one was malnourished, and called the one with the injured back one of the worst cases of animal cruelty he had seen in quite some time.

"I talked to the vet (Wednesday), she believes it might be some type of bacterial infection," Smith said. "Right now, we're waiting for the lab results to come back so the vet can make the definitive determination of exactly what caused (the condition)."

None of the dogs had food or water.

Houston-native Tiara Alsaid, 26, and Richard Anthony, 57, were both detained following the traffic stop.

During the investigation, it was discovered that the Houston Police Department had multiple cases involving Alsaid for allegedly running a business that claims to transport dogs cross-country, but instead sells them.

Smith said they've found cases of Alsaid ripping people off all over the country. He added she is certified by the USDA as a dog transporter, but the USDA has also received complaints regarding her practices.

"We've found that Ms. Alsaid has a pretty lengthy history of swindling people involved with her transportation business. We've located victims in Florida, Tennessee, and California, and I just got an email from the Austin area," Smith said. "Seems like this lady has traveled around and this is not a new occurrence for her."

Alsaid was arrested on multiple charges, including theft, animal cruelty, and multiple drug warrants out of various counties, deputies said.

Johnson was arrested for an unrelated possession of marijuana charge, but Smith says animal-related charges could be forthcoming.

The dogs are currently at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter, and anyone who thinks they may own one is encouraged to call Sgt. Smith at 936-538-3545.

You can also email him at Jason.Smith@mctx.org.

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