San Pedro man charged with sexually assaulting neighbor’s dog

CALIFORNIA -- A San Pedro man was charged Monday with animal cruelty for an alleged sexual assault on his neighbor’s 80-pound Akita, an offense captured entirely on surveillance video.

Christopher Alexander Caceres, 22, who worked at Green Hills Mortuary in Rancho Palos Verdes, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Long Beach court. He was held in county jail on $100,000 bail and ordered to return to court Nov. 25.

The District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint in court charging Caceres with one felony count of cruelty to an animal, saying he tortured and tormented the dog, “subjecting the dog to bestiality.” Caceres, who is 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds, also was charged with a misdemeanor count of sexual assault on an animal for unlawfully having intercourse with a dog.

He also was charged with a felony count of burglary for allegedly breaking into a San Pedro trailer coach that day while someone was inside, the complaint said.

If convicted, Caceres could face up to nine years behind bars, six in prison on the burglary offense, the most serious of the charges. Los Angeles Superior Court records showed Caceres had no previous convictions.

The dog’s owner called police Nov. 10 when he was shocked to discover the alleged crime on video. The man said he purchased surveillance cameras because he suspected a prowler was targeting his house in the 1900 block of Summerland Avenue.

A few months earlier, he heard his Akita shriek in the middle of the night. When he ran out to check, he found a cellphone. Two weeks later, he heard his dog make the same chilling sound, found his dog acting oddly and discovered a gate was open.

On Sunday, he woke up to find fur all over his backyard, He checked his video system and was horrified.

“It was total disgust,” the resident said. “I didn’t even know something like that would cross somebody’s mind to do that. Now I find out there is a terminology for it.”

The video, which was turned over to Los Angeles Police Department’s animal cruelty division, showed the crime lasted for more than two hours.

“It was unimaginable to me,” the owner said. “For it to go on that long was heart-wrenching.”
Caceres, who lived nearby with his grandmother, was quickly identified and arrested.

The owner went to court Monday for Caceres’ arraignment.

“I wanted to see him in person,” the man said. “I wanted to see if he might plead guilty.”

Caceres’ occupation was listed as “maintenance” on his LAPD booking report. He worked at Green Hills Mortuary, but a spokesman was not available Monday afternoon for comment.

The dog, meanwhile, was recovering at home Monday. She remained sedated while taking pain medication, her owner said. His daughter is keeping her close by.

(Daily Breeze - Nov 18, 2013)