ALBANY COUNTY — Randy Whitten is the second man to plead guilty to charges stemming from the theft of a dog in Guilderland.

In December, Robert Genovese pleaded to the same charge of second-degree burglary.

On Oct. 24, the pair broke in to a Johnston Road house in Guilderland and took a dog, according to the district attorney’s office. A neighbor reported the theft to police, who pursued Whitten, 42, and Genovese, 30, as they drove a white van into the village of Voorheesville.

There, they left the dog with the van and fled on foot, later taking a Chevrolet Silverado truck from a suburban driveway. They were stopped on Route 20 in Guilderland and arrested.

“These two defendants went on a crime-spree which included the awful act of stealing a beloved pet named Molly, who was thankfully safely returned home,” District Attorney David Soares said in a press release.

Whitten, of Rochester, will face up to 12 years in prison and five years of parole when he is sentenced on March 12.

For earlier coverage, go to www.AltamontEnterprise.com and look under archives for Oct. 27, 2011 and Dec. 22, 2011.

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