A Deer Park man suspected of stealing a Chihuahua from a pet store has turned himself in to police.

Police say 27-year-old Nicholas Savoia stole a 9-week-old Chihuahua worth about $1,600 from BTJ?s Jungle Pet Shop on March 17. A surveillance video shows a man opening the cage, putting the dog under his coat and using a small girl to hide the puppy as they left the store.

Savoia says he was trying to spend quality time with his daughter and had a momentary lapse in judgment. He says that when he saw himself in the surveillance video on television, he knew police were going to be looking for him.

Savoia was released on $500 bail and is due in court Wednesday. He could serve up to one-and-a-third to three years in prison if convicted.

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