She came outside and her dog was gone. Social media, community help bring Clover back.

A Bellingham man was arrested Thursday evening after he allegedly stole a 1½ -year-old female yellow lab from the public library in downtown Bellingham.

Gerritt Simmon Jefferson, 31, was arrested on suspicion of felony second-degree theft.

“While Clover is priceless to her family, it is felony theft, because monetarily she is worth $1,800,” Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Herald in an email Thursday.

Jefferson has previous felony convictions for second-degree theft, according to Whatcom County Superior Court records.

Around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Dani Olson took her 2½ -year-old daughter and her dog, Clover, on their weekly walk to the Bellingham Public Library on Central Avenue, she told The Herald in an interview Thursday. Olson said, as usual, she tied Clover to the bike rack near the children’s entrance and left some treats and a stroller nearby.

Olson, 29, said she and her daughter spent about 25 minutes inside, but when they came out, Clover was gone.

“I never thought someone would steal an adult grown dog. It’s my way of exercising my dog and enriching my toddler’s life all at the same time,” Olson said. “She’s my third child, she’s my baby. She’s really, really special to me.”

Surveillance footage showed a man, later identified as Jefferson, walk up, unclip Clover’s leash and untie it, while Olson and her daughter were inside. The man then clipped the leash back on and walked off with the dog, according to Murphy.

Shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday, Bellingham Police discovered Clover and Jefferson were on the Lummi Reservation, Murphy said. With the help of Lummi Law and Order, Clover was recovered, kept safe and taken to the Bellingham Police Department until she and Olson could be reunited.

Murphy said she believes social media played a role in getting Clover back safely. Murphy, who posted Clover’s and Jefferson’s pictures on Facebook, said as of early Friday morning the post had reached 237,977 people and had been shared more than 4,100 times.

“We had hundreds of eyes watching for Clover for most of the day yesterday,” Murphy said in an email to The Herald Friday. “That is completely amazing and shows how much our community cares. We could not be more pleased that sweet Clover was found safe and sound to be reunited with her family!”

As for Olson, she said she never expected the level of support she received in searching for Clover.

“It was a really intense day, but I had a happy ending so I can really reflect on the community outpouring I received,” Olson said Thursday after being reunited with Clover. “I had so many people out looking with me. It’s just really remarkable, I’m quite touched.”

This story was originally published October 5, 2018 at 6:50 PM.