Woman accused of burglary at gunpoint and killing dog traced to Ely
by Parker Loew
On Oct. 20 at approximately 4:13 a.m., the Virginia Police Department responded to 15th Street North in Virginia claiming two people held her at gunpoint and shot her dog.
The caller, Katelynn Stavig, was found on the scene crying outside and informed officers she knew the identity of one of the two people who had broken in.
Stavig identified the suspect as Heather Nappa of Virginia and knew her because she had let Nappa stay with her in the past.
Stavig was sleeping in her bedroom with the door open when she heard someone enter her residence, causing her dog to jump off the bed and run to the door.
Nappa and the other intruder now identified as Dakota Jakob Sandberg, wearing black ski masks and clothing, approached her bedroom.
Sandberg shot Stavig’s dog when it approached him before pointing the handgun and flashlight he was carrying at Stavig’s face.
Nappa and Sandberg demanded money and “stuff” from Stavig, but she forced her bedroom door shut, and the intruders eventually left.
Stavig said she recognized Nappa by the sound of her voice.
Inside the residence, officers located Stavig’s dog deceased from a gunshot wound to the head and located a 9mm casing close by.
A few blocks from the residence, officers located several items including 9mm rounds and a flashlight that could be mounted to a handgun.
Officers pinged Nappa’s phone and were able to trace her to a residence in Ely where she was arrested.
Nappa told officers that Stavig owed her money and told her to come get it at her house.
She feared it was a set-up so she brought along Sandberg and claimed she didn’t know he had a gun.
Officers located Sandberg at a different address where they questioned him.
Sandberg indicated he ran into Nappa at the Short Stop in Virginia where she mentioned she was robbed by Stavig.
Sandberg jokingly brought up collecting the money from Stavig, to which Nappa responded favorably.
From Sandberg’s account, he and Nappa entered Stavig’s residence where they heard a dog bark near the bedroom.
Sandberg indicated he pointed a 9mm handgun with a light attached at Stavig when her dog jumped on him and tried to bite him.
At this point, Sandberg shot Stavig’s dog, and Nappa started demanding money from Stavig.
After Stavig refused Nappa’s demands and locked herself in her room, Sandberg and Nappa left.
Following arrest, Sandberg was charged with second-degree felony assault, two counts of first-degree felony burglary, felony animal cruelty, felony robbery with a knife, fifth-degree misdemeanor drug charge, and misdemeanor trespassing.
Nappa was charged with second-degree felony assault, two counts of first-degree felony burglary, felony robbery with a knife and a probation violation.
Nappa and Sandberg are each looking at up to 20 years in prison for the incident.
