Police say a 23-year-old Connecticut woman spotted by an officer using a rock to try to smash open the front door of a closed pet store said she "wanted to set the puppies free."

The Hour newspaper reports (http://bit.ly/LdN5Yr ) that the officer heard a banging sound while on patrol at a Norwalk strip mall early Wednesday. He spotted a woman running away from the Puppies of Westport store but caught up with her, rock in hand.

The officer noted there was fresh damage to the store's front door.

Police say when asked what she was doing, the woman said she "wanted to set the puppies free."

Anouk Govil, of Norwalk, is charged with third-degree criminal mischief. She's posted $500 bond and has been ordered to return to court next Tuesday.