Dead Cat Tied To 10-Pound Weight Found In SF Bay During Pier 14 Shooting Investigation
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- San Francisco Animal Control Officers arrested a man on animal cruelty charges after police found a dead cat in the San Francisco Bay during a homicide investigation at Pier 14.
Police divers were looking for a gun related to the fatal shooting of Kathryn Steinle earlier this month when they discovered a floating bag containing a cat tied to a 10-pound weight.
A microchip in the two-year-old brown tabby cat led officers to his owner Adrian Dumont.
The 34-year-old San Francisco resident plead not guilty to the charge Tuesday and will return to court on July 27, according to district attorney's office spokesman Max Szabo. He faces imprisonment and fines up to $20,000.
Police eventually found the gun believed to be used in the Steinle killing.
The gun belonged to a U.S. Bureau of Land Management law enforcement ranger who had it stolen from his vehicle while in San Francisco.
The man accused of killing Steinle, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, was deported five times and has a criminal history with seven prior felonies, including four involving narcotics.
The case has brought national attention to San Francisco's "sanctuary city" immigration policy which prohibits law enforcement officials from detaining an individual on the basis of an immigration detainer when they would otherwise be eligible for release from custody.
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