From Capitol Hill Seattle:

A desperate search for a lost puppy turned extraordinarily dangerous Wednesday when the dog's E. Union owner was robbed of more than $800 in reward money by a man armed with a pistol. The man claimed he knew where the 15-week-old blue-nose pit bull puppy was and tricked the owner into driving to south Seattle where the man took the money and disappeared.

The details of the robbery are extremely convoluted. From the Seattle Police Department report on the incident, the situation played out like this. Amelia and her boyfriend Brandon put up posters with their names and phone numbers offering a $1,500 reward for Honey's return. As they were hanging the posters on Wednesday near 23rd and Union, a man approached them and told them he had bought the puppy last night for $50 from a man in a Lexus.

The man said he needed a ride to where the dog was so they could complete the handover and give him the reward. Amelia and Brandon decided to call the cops to "mediate" the situation but when they arrived, the man said the puppy was not there but that he'd take Brandon to where Honey was being kept. According to the SPD report, Brandon agreed to drive the man to where the puppy was -- against the officers' advice who were concerned the man "was going take advantage of them and take their reward money."