LAPD Officers Charged With Animal Cruelty

LOS ANGELES, CA — A pair of Los Angeles police officers are facing felony animal cruelty charges today for allegedly failing to care for their elderly Labrador Shamrock, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced today.

Jason David Azpeitia, 43, and Sharon Anne Azpeitia, 42, each are charged with one felony count of cruelty to an animal and two misdemeanor counts of failure to license. The officers each face up to three years in jail, according to the district attorney's office.

On Jan. 9, a neighbor of the couple found the dog in the street in the rain, showing signs of severe neglect, prosecutors allege. The dog had to be put down, but the circumstances under which the dog was put to sleep or when that occurred were not released. It was unclear whether the euthanization was related to the alleged neglect that resulted in the filing of charges on Sept. 13.There is no record of the arrest of either officer in the sheriff's department online jail records.

Authorities did not release location the dog was found due to a policy of not disclosing the location of law enforcement officers' homes out of concern for their safety. The pair entered their pleas in a West Covina courtroom and were ordered to return Nov. 28 for a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report; Photo: Shutterstock