There are plenty of things that can ruin your hiding place after running from the police. A helicopter overhead, a K9 tracking your scent, or a witness pointing officers in your direction usually top the list.
Getting ratted out by a cat? That’s probably not one many people see coming.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, deputies searching for a burglary suspect in Leesburg, Florida, received help from nearly every resource available to them. A helicopter, drone, K9, and one surprisingly memorable feline all played a role in bringing the search to an end.
While K9 Chief ultimately made the arrest, it was the cat that helped point deputies toward the shed where the suspect was hiding. Safe to say, the cat earned its share of the credit that day.
Deputies Called in Everything From a Drone to K9 Chief
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We reposted the video to the Guessing Headlights YouTube channel, where we condensed the content for easier viewing. According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a burglary in progress at approximately 9:22 am on June 2 after residents reported an unknown woman attempting to force her way into an unoccupied home in Leesburg.
When deputies arrived, they found signs of forced entry, but the suspect had already fled on foot. Officers immediately established a perimeter and called in Aviation Eagle One, an LCSO drone, and K9 Chief to help search the entire area.
During the search, a witness reported seeing the suspect enter a neighboring home. After speaking with the homeowner, deputies learned that keys, a wallet, and a vehicle had all been stolen from an enclosed but unsecured carport. Of course, deputies soon located the stolen vehicle parked at another nearby residence.
One Curious Cat Ended up Solving the Mystery
While checking an attached shed on the property, they spotted a cat matching the one previously described by the witness. That seemingly small detail led deputies to search the structure more closely, where they found the suspect hiding inside.
According to investigators, the suspect refused repeated commands to come out of the shed. The K9 Chief was then deployed and successfully apprehended the woman, who was transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the arrest.
She was later identified as Jessica Gioia, and was arrested on charges including resisting a law enforcement officer without violence, burglary of an occupied dwelling, two counts of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, grand theft of a motor vehicle, possession of burglary tools with intent to use, petit theft, grand theft, felony retail theft, and multiple failure-to-appear warrants tied to previous theft and drug-related offenses.
Between the helicopter, the drone, K9 Chief, and one unexpectedly helpful cat, deputies had plenty of assistance tracking the suspect down. It just turns out the cat may have been the most unexpected member of the search team.
Commenters Declared the Feline an Honorary Deputy
Several commenters joked that the cat had no problem giving away the suspect’s hiding place. One person wrote, “Spotting the cat will lead you to the criminal every time,” while another summed it up even more simply: “The cat ratted.” Others leaned into the puns, joking about “cat burglars” and hoping the feline escaped the ordeal unharmed.
K9 Chief also received plenty of praise for ending the standoff. One commenter wrote, “You cannot hide from the K9 officer!!” while another said every police dog deserves “a good boy bite just for showing up.” Several others joked about the familiar warnings suspects receive before a K9 deployment, noting that once officers announce the dog is coming, “things just got real.”
As with all criminal cases, the suspect is considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.