Alleged dognappers deny charges - UPI.com AKRON, Ohio, March 13 (UPI) -- A pair of Ohio men accused of stealing a $3,000 dog and attempting to ransom it for $500 said their calls to the owner were about reward, not ransom. Pierre Cabell and Gilbert Dickson of Akron, who are facing charges of receiving stolen property, theft and extortion, said they did not steal Papa Bear, a 2-year-old pitt bull and dalmation mix, but rather took the dog in after he wandered into Dickson's back yard, WKYC-TV, Cleveland, reported Tuesday. Don Alexander, the dog's owner, said he received a phone call less than half an hour after putting out a flier Saturday from a man who demanded $500 for the dog's return. Undercover police met Cabell and Dickson in Emerling Park and arrested them after making the exchange. However, Cabell and Dickson, who have pleaded not guilty to the charges, said they took the dog in when it wandered into Dickson's yard and their phone call to Alexander was about collecting a reward for the canine's return, not ransoming the animal. We just took the dog in. We treated that dog a lot better than we was treated in Summit County Jail," Dickson said.