A man pleaded guilty to burglary after being arrested for allegedly trying to steal his ex-girlfriend’s dog.

Police were called to the ex-girlfriend’s Elkhart home, in August 2023, where they found Derek Shults holding the dog in the doorway.

The Goshen News reports he was arrested without incident. His ex-girlfriend told police that Shults had been texting her asking to see the dog but that she told him no every time.

When she didn’t answer the door when he knocked, Shults entered, but the woman was unsure how he got in and said the door had been locked and he did not have a key.

The woman said she heard Shults take the dog and put him in his vehicle before she and Shults got into a scuffle.

She told police that she had Shults’ car keys in her hand and that he put her into an arm lock and took the keys.

Police found that he had entered through a window, and he was charged with domestic battery and burglary. 

His sentencing is set for February 29.