Case Details

Two dogs beaten to death Los Angeles, CA (US) Incident Date: Friday, Jul 13, 2007 County: Los Angeles Local Map: available Charges: Felony CTA Disposition: Alleged Alleged: Keith K. Chung Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Case ID: 11962 Classification: Beating Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in CA (US) Drugs or alcohol involved Login to Watch this Case

A Los Angeles pharmacist accused of fatally beating two dogs was charged on Aug 7 with animal cruelty, as District Attorney Steve Cooley announced a new program expected to increase the number of animal-related cases filed.

Keith Chung, 41, is suspected in the beating deaths of his two Schnauzers, one of which was found in his freezer, Cooley told reporters at a news conference.

Chung -- who pleaded not guilty -- was arrested July 13 by Los Angeles police responding to a report from neighbors of a dog barking as in distress, according to the District Attorney's Office.

He is free on bail and due back at the Airport Branch Courthouse on Aug. 21 for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial on the two felony animal cruelty counts and a felony charge of possession of an opiate.

The charges were announced as Cooley unveiled a program to better train prosecutors and law enforcement officers on investigating and prosecuting animal cruelty cases.

"One of our goals is to raise awareness. More and more residents are reporting these cases to law enforcement and we want them to do so. It's a very good thing and we want to encourage it and part of our program will do just that," Cooley said. "We've been pretty good (at) prosecuting these cases historically, but now we're moving in an area where we'll be much more comprehensive, spread our knowledge and our experience and our expertise."

Deputy District Attorney Deborah Knaan, who returned in June from a six-month leave of absence to serve as the assistant general manager of operations for the city's Department of Animal Services, will serve as the office's animal cruelty case coordinator.

Cooley said he had asked all of his branch offices, along with those in downtown Los Angeles, to designate specific prosecutors who will be specially trained to handle animal cruelty cases.

Cooley noted that county prosecutors filed cases involving animals last week against two men -- a Simi Valley man accused of leaving his two-year-old Labrador retriever in a car in Canoga Park for four hours, where it was found dead; and a Lawndale man charged with stabbing a Redondo Beach police dog.

Cooley said that he expects the new program to help generate more awareness of animal cruelty, and that he thinks a rise in the number of criminal cases would be "predictable."

"You're going to see a lot more of this detected, which means more investigated, more prosecuted, which hopefully means a reduction of the problem," the district attorney said.

Knaan said the program will explore "any and all forms of animal cruelty," with the two most common forms being abuse by neglect and acts of cruelty.

"I think that dog fighting is one of the things, obviously, that we are actively looking into, and we are hoping that by having this unit we are going to be raising the awareness of the community about dog fighting and hopefully instigate some reporting," she said. "Most crimes occur in the shadows, but this is really one that happens underground."

LAPD Lt. Tony Lomedico with the Animal Cruelty Task Force said investigators have come across "some spontaneous dog fighting," along with cock-fighting.

But he said animal neglect "is probably the number one thing," noting that public awareness is the key.

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