At 11:45 Tuesday morning Detective Bill Jennings of the Salem Police returned Lucy the Cat, one of upper Essex Street's more beloved characters to his place of honor,
Lucy had been abducted by an apparently well meaning but confused older gentleman, police said. A resident of the man's apartment building recognized Lucy after being shown her neighbor's new cat and notified the police.
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Facebook posts on the Barking Cat's Website alerted residents Lucy had gone missing Friday evening. A witness had seen a man walking away with Lucy in his arms.
Lucy's owner Dave Pelletier was relieved at Lucy's return and said, "this has just been hilarious."