San Mateo Man Charged With Brutally Killing Neighbor's Poodle With Brick
SAN MATEO (CBS SF) -- A San Mateo County man has been accused of killing a teenage girl's poodle by hitting it in the head with a brick because the pet wandered into his yard one too many times, the district attorney said.
Marcos Montano-Topete, 32, who lives on Dumbarton Avenue in unincorporated Redwood City, faces one charge of felony animal cruelty in connection with the March 26 attack.
Prosecutors said Montano-Topete allegedly approached his 16-year-old neighbor and told her he was sick of her dog—a 26-pound poodle named 'Globsis'—coming onto his property, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
Montano-Topete allegedly told the girl he had hit her dog and it was lying in her yard, Wagstaffe said. The pet was found whimpering and convulsing in a pool of blood.
The dog's snout appeared to be caved in, and deputies later found a brick nearby, according to the district attorney's office.
The dog was retrieved by the Peninsula Humane Society, but due to the severity of its injuries, it had to be euthanized. Montano-Topete was arrested and charged with felony animal cruelty, and pleaded not guilty in June.
Defense attorney Tom Deremigio did not immediately return a call for comment.
Montano-Topete was due to appear in court for a superior court review conference Wednesday afternoon, and was scheduled to return for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 9.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
