Boyette bought a generic reflective safety vest and a clipboard and spent several afternoons knocking on doors in a Richmond suburb claiming to need ‘backyard meter access.’ Once admitted to the yards, he ignored all utility equipment entirely and made a beeline for the family dog, whom he would pet, praise, and in several cases photograph, before thanking the homeowner and leaving. The pattern was identified when neighbors compared notes and realized the ‘inspector’ never inspected anything and had left dog treats behind on at least three occasions. He told one homeowner’s golden retriever it was ‘the best boy in this whole zip code,’ a claim he made to at least four other dogs. Per the officer: ‘It’s the gentlest case of criminal trespass I’ve ever filed and I genuinely struggled with the paperwork.’ Boyette expressed remorse, saying he ‘just missed having a dog’ after his own had passed away.