Landlord Arrives In Limo To Turn Herself In After Stealing Dog In Dispute Over Property

Police in Oregon have been seeking a landlord named Brooke Skoda-Kempton, 39, who stole a black 4-year-old whippet named Isis from her former tenant Kate Taylor, 30. After a public call for the whereabouts of Kempton, she turned herself in by pulling up to the police station in a stretch limo. Not exactly the entrance that most defense lawyers would suggest.

Kempton kicked out Taylor, who sold her horses as part of the rental agreement with Kempton. The horses were housed at the stable of Kempton’s mother. The reason cited in news reports for terminating the lease was that Kempton viewed Taylor as “being disrespectful.”

Kempton allegedly later showed up at Taylor’s father’s house and was confronted by Kevin Taylor, 61, over two saddles that she said his daughter stole. She said that she was going to take Taylor’s dog, Isis, until she got her saddles back and drove off. The father said that he tried to stop her and jumped on the running boards of her truck but that she sped up and he was thrown to the ground — causing injuries.

What is weird is that after Kempton arrived in her limousine, the whereabouts of Isis remained unknown and police asked the public to help find the dog.

There is a legal doctrine called distress damage feasant that allows a person to hold on to an animal that trespasses on their land as security for the payment of compensation for damage caused by it. However, that doctrine does not give a person license to go on to the land of someone to kidnap a dog for such purposes. It is not clear if whether, in addition to charges of robbery and theft, Kempton will be charged with assault on the father by accelerating as he sought to prevent the theft of the dog. In any case, her fancy arrival will only add notoriety to infamy if any harm has come to Isis.