CALIFORNIA -- Two women who allegedly stole a poodle from a man at his Echo Park home while posing as animal cruelty officers pleaded not guilty Friday to burglary and other charges.
Jenny Smiley, 51, and Shannah Tenner, 53, are charged with one felony count each of first-degree burglary and extortion and one misdemeanor count each of grand theft of a dog and unlawful use of a badge.
The two -- wearing green shirts with badges -- allegedly went to the man’s home April 14 and told him that he would be deported if he did not turn over the dog, according to prosecutors.
Los Angeles police said last month that two women representing themselves as Los Angeles Police Department Animal Cruelty Task Force officers told him there had been multiple complaints about a dog at the residence being neglected.
The pair allegedly gave the man a flier that contained accurate contact information for the Los Angeles Police Department’s Animal Cruelty Task Force and said they were there to confiscate the dog, which had not been abused or neglected.
After the women left with the dog, the man called the task force number and learned that the unit was not involved in his pet being taken, police said.
The canine was later recovered.
Smiley and Tenner were arrested earlier this month and are free on bail. They are due back in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom June 10, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require them to stand trial.
If convicted as charged, the two could face up to eight years in state prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
(Daily News - May 29, 2015)
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