Furry Surprise in Theft Suspect’s Pocket: A Tiny Blue-Eyed Puppy

 An approximately 5-week-old pit bull puppy that was found in a jacket pocket of larceny suspect out of Roseville, Mich., is held on Jan. 16, 2024. The puppy was turned over to Macomb County Animal Control. (Chris Hall/Detroit Free Press via AP)
An approximately 5-week-old pit bull puppy that was found in a jacket pocket of larceny suspect out of Roseville, Mich., is held on Jan. 16, 2024. The puppy was turned over to Macomb County Animal Control. (Chris Hall/Detroit Free Press via AP)
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Furry Surprise in Theft Suspect’s Pocket: A Tiny Blue-Eyed Puppy

 An approximately 5-week-old pit bull puppy that was found in a jacket pocket of larceny suspect out of Roseville, Mich., is held on Jan. 16, 2024. The puppy was turned over to Macomb County Animal Control. (Chris Hall/Detroit Free Press via AP)
An approximately 5-week-old pit bull puppy that was found in a jacket pocket of larceny suspect out of Roseville, Mich., is held on Jan. 16, 2024. The puppy was turned over to Macomb County Animal Control. (Chris Hall/Detroit Free Press via AP)

Officers in a Detroit suburb found a furry surprise as they patted down a theft suspect: A tiny blue-eyed puppy, zipped inside the man’s jacket pocket.

Roseville police discovered the blue pit bull on Jan. 16 while arresting a man accused of stealing money from a bank customer.

The palm-sized female, about 5 weeks old, was taken to an animal shelter, where staff nicknamed her Bandit until they learned her name is Frappy, according to Jeff Randazzo, Macomb County’s chief animal control officer. Then she was transferred to foster care before being returned to her 24-year-old owner, once he was released from jail and paid an impound fee.

Randazzo said he met with the theft suspect, offering to help with vaccines and microchipping so they can “keep an eye on this dog.” Animal control is “hoping to take a bad situation and (make) it better,” he told the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday.

Frappy's owner is charged with larceny from a person, accused of stealing the customer's bag containing about $5,200. He was arrested hours later, and his attorney, Robbie Lang, doesn't believe the dog was in his pocket at the time of the alleged theft.



Mount Fuji Hikers to be Charged $27 on All Trails

(FILES) A chimney is seen at the Keihin Industrial Zone as Mount Fuji (background L), Japan's highest mountain at 3,776 meters (12,388 feet), looms in the background as viewed from the observation deck of Kawasaki Marien in Kawasaki on January 24, 2022. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
(FILES) A chimney is seen at the Keihin Industrial Zone as Mount Fuji (background L), Japan's highest mountain at 3,776 meters (12,388 feet), looms in the background as viewed from the observation deck of Kawasaki Marien in Kawasaki on January 24, 2022. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
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Mount Fuji Hikers to be Charged $27 on All Trails

(FILES) A chimney is seen at the Keihin Industrial Zone as Mount Fuji (background L), Japan's highest mountain at 3,776 meters (12,388 feet), looms in the background as viewed from the observation deck of Kawasaki Marien in Kawasaki on January 24, 2022. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
(FILES) A chimney is seen at the Keihin Industrial Zone as Mount Fuji (background L), Japan's highest mountain at 3,776 meters (12,388 feet), looms in the background as viewed from the observation deck of Kawasaki Marien in Kawasaki on January 24, 2022. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

Hikers attempting any of Mount Fuji's four main trails will be charged an entry fee of 4,000 yen ($27) from this summer, after local authorities passed a bill on Monday.

A record influx of foreign tourists to Japan has sparked alarm about overcrowding on the nation's highest mountain, a once-peaceful pilgrimage site.

Last year, Yamanashi region -- home to Mount Fuji -- introduced a 2,000 yen ($14) entry fee plus an optional donation for the active volcano's most popular hiking route, the Yoshida Trail.

A cap on daily entries and online reservations were also brought in on that trail by officials concerned about safety and environmental damage on Fuji's majestic slopes.

The Yoshida Trail fee will be doubled for this year's July-September climbing season, while neighboring Shizuoka region passed a bill on Monday to also charge 4,000 yen for its three trails, which were previously free, AFP reported.

Thanks in part to the new restrictions, the number of climbers who tackled Mount Fuji declined to 204,316 last year, from 221,322 in 2023, environment ministry data shows.

Although climber numbers continue to be eclipsed by pre-pandemic levels, "200,000 hikers is still huge", Natsuko Sodeyama, a Shizuoka prefecture official, told AFP.

"There is no other mountain in Japan that attracts that many people in the span of just over two months. So some restrictions are necessary to ensure their safety."

Mount Fuji is covered in snow for most of the year, but during the summer hiking season many trudge up its steep, rocky slopes through the night to see the sunrise.

The symmetrical mountain has been immortalized in countless artworks, including Hokusai's "Great Wave". It last erupted around 300 years ago.