Man accused of kidnapping Lady Gaga’s dogs is recaptured months after mistaken release
James Howard Jackson, who faces attempted murder and robbery charges, was released from jail due to “clerical error”
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A suspect accused of shooting Lady Gaga’s dog walker and attempting to kidnap her three French Bulldogs has been recaptured.
James Howard Jackson, 19, was mistakenly released from Los Angeles County jail in April while awaiting trial due to a clerical error.
The US Marshalls put out a $5,000 reward for his capture in July. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office announced that Mr Jackson had been arrested without incident.
He was one of three men facing charges including attempted murder and robbery over the attempted dog-napping in Los Angeles in February 2021.
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Another suspect, Jaylin Keyshawn White, was sentenced to four years in prison in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a charge of second-degree robbery, the AFP reported.
Prosecutors said Mr Jackson and two others had driven around Los Angeles looking for expensive dogs to steal when they spotted Ryan Fischer as he walked Lady Gaga’s dogs Asia, Koji and Gustav in Hollywood in February 2021.
They allegedly hit and choked Mr Fischer during a violent struggle before shooting him in the chest.
He was seen in surveillance footage yelling “Oh, my God! I’ve been shot!” while trying to hold-on to the pop singer’s dogs. He later said he had suffered a collapsed lung.
Lady Gaga, who was in Rome at the time, was eventually reunited with the dogs after they were handed in. She offered a reward of $500,000 for the return of her dogs.