A 39-year-old Eureka woman has been charged with a felony for allegedly stealing a dog. The woman, Alexandra Krinski, is an assistant principal at the Rockwood School District’s Crestview Middle School in Ballwin.
She was charged on Feb. 9 with felony stealing an animal, a class E felony. The alleged offense is punishable by one to four years in prison, or by imprisonment for a special term not to exceed one year in the county jail, or by a fine not to exceed $10,000, or by both imprisonment and a fine, according to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
A criminal setting hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. March 23 in front of St. Louis County Associate Circuit Judge John F. Newsham at the St. Louis County Court building in Clayton, court records show.
According to the probable-cause statement in the case, an 8-year-old German shepherd had frequently escaped from the yard of a home on Fox Chapel Lane in Clarkson Valley, which is near Crestview Middle, 16025 Clayton Road. In December 2021, Krinski found the dog at the school and took it to a veterinarian who accessed the dog’s microchip and provided the assistant principal with the owners’ contact information, and Krinski contacted the owners, who picked up the dog, the report said.
On Jan. 3, the dog was at Crestview Middle again, and the school contacted the dog’s owners. A short time later, though, the owners received another text message that said the dog had been “let go,” according to the report.
The dog’s owners were suspicious of the second text message and remained near the school. One of the owners allegedly saw Krinski leave the school with the dog, the report said.
Another one of the owners located the vehicle Krinski was driving and followed the assistant principal to her home in Eureka. The owner allegedly saw Krinski take the dog into her home, the report said.
Eureka Police were called to the home, and the officers retrieved the dog, the probable-cause statement said.
“While this fortunately is not a case involving violence against a person or an animal, a dog is a family member for most people, so we take these matters seriously,” said St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell in a written statement announcing the charge filed against the woman.
A message left with Rockwood officials was not returned today (Feb. 26).