Kelso man guilty of role in bulldog ransom scheme

KELSO, Wash. (AP) - A Kelso man has been convicted of extortion and possession of stolen property in a deadly scheme to ransom a pet bulldog for drugs and money.

Jurors deliberated for about four hours before delivering their verdict Friday in the case of Jesse James Clark.

Prosecutors say Clark kept a bulldog named Jagger at his home after the animal was snatched from a Woodland yard in October 2011.

The Daily News of Longview reports that prosecutors say Clark faces at least three years in prison at his March 7 sentencing.

Two other participants in the plot were sentenced last year.

The dog's owner received text messages demanding that she hand over painkillers and $1,000.

Jagger was later found dead along railroad tracks in Kelso.