PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — For about a minute, the shirtless man scopes out the place. He walks from one side to the other, pausing momentarily for an apparent smoke break. Then, he focuses on his target and walks behind the counter of the Pixie Project, a Portland pet adoption and rescue center.
Ultimately, he opens a green cage and leaves with a stolen black kitten in hand.
On Tuesday night, Portland police arrested 25-year-old Luke Andrade for the theft, charging him with two counts of first-degree theft and second-degree burglary. He also had a warrant for arson.
What officers didn’t find, however, was the kitten. Police said the kitten was likely sold to someone in downtown Portland and they don’t know its whereabouts.
“It’s just sad for the animal, that is all it is,” said Amy Sacks, the executive producer of Pixie Project, after the kitten was stolen. “It’s not about money, it’s not about business, it’s not about any of those things we just want our animals to be safe.”
Watch: Surveillance footage of the kitten theft
The theft happened on Sunday at approximately 6:25 p.m. A spokeswoman with Pixie Project said the suspect took advantage of opportune timing. The two volunteers had the center had stepped away for a few moments, allowing him to slip in-and-out in under two minutes.
“I think he was watching and he watched for an open lobby, and he took it,” said Sacks.
This isn”t the first time the center has been targeted. Sacks said they’ve had electronics and other pets taken before. One time, a woman hid a cat underneath her shirt and tried to escape unnoticed. The center’s location, Sacks said, might have something to do with it.
“We are downtown and we have cute animals and we have a bit of a culture in Portland of taking what you want when you want it,” Sacks said.
The kitten that was taken has a microchip, the center said. Sacks said the center completes around 800 adoptions every year, providing animals with a forever home. She doesn’t believe that anyone who would steal a kitten from a rescue would have its best interests in mind.
“I find it hard to believe that somebody that would do that is truly in a position to care for an animal for the duration of its life” Sacks said, “and that’s all I care about.”
Anyone with information about the current location of the kitten can call Portland police at 503.823.3333. or the Pixie Project.