A Schuylkill County woman was arrested Saturday after police allegedly caught her driving a vehicle filled with purebred dogs in Pottsville. However, she reportedly told police two of the dogs later escaped into a Berks County cornfield.
Ashley Stumhofer, 35, of Pottsville, was taken into custody without incident shortly after 7 p.m. following a traffic stop in the 600 block of John O’Hara St.
Police say they spotted a gray Ford Edge near 7th St. and Laurel Blvd. that had been reported stolen earlier that morning around 11 a.m. When officers stopped the SUV, Stumhofer was inside with three adult Afghan Hounds. Police say that five Afghan Hounds, valued at about $2,000 each, were inside the vehicle when it was originally stolen.
Stumhofer told police that a woman and a store owner gave her permission to take the running vehicle from outside Pottsville Provision earlier in the day. She said she drove to a farm in the Hamburg area, where two of the dogs jumped out of the car into a cornfield. Stumhofer told police she then left the area without attempting to capture the loose dogs.
The vehicle’s owner arrived at the scene to recover the SUV and the three remaining dogs. Police say the owner told officers she did not know Stumhofer and had not given anyone permission to drive her vehicle or take her dogs.
During a search incident to arrest, officers reported finding drug paraphernalia inside Stumhofer’s purse, including a syringe loaded with clear liquid, a syringe loaded with red liquid, two snorting straws, burnt aluminum foil, a plastic cap containing residue, and a container holding water and cotton. A check through PennDOT revealed Stumhofer did not have a valid driver’s license and her driving privilege was suspended, with two prior convictions for driving on a suspended license.
Stumhofer was charged with one felony count of receiving stolen property, three misdemeanor counts of receiving stolen property, one misdemeanor count of driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked, and one misdemeanor count of use or possession of drug paraphernalia.
Stumhofer was arraigned Saturday night before Magisterial District Judge Stephen Bayer and remanded to Schuylkill County Prison after failing to post $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 7 before Magisterial District Judge James Reiley.
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