Case Details


Case Snapshot
Case ID: 19323
Classification: Mutilation/Torture, Stabbing
Animal: dog (non pit-bull)
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Attorneys/Judges
Prosecutor(s): Michael Stewart
Judge(s): Patrick Hegarty


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Dog disemboweled
Burbank, CA (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Feb 4, 2012
County: Los Angeles

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged:
» Charissa Marie Bodtcher
» Timo Adam Bodtcher

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge today ruled that there was sufficient evidence for two siblings arrested on suspicion of disemboweling their aunt's dog to face trial.

Charissa Bodtcher, 23, and her brother, 18-year-old Timo Bodtcher, are due back in court March 7 to face felony animal cruelty charges after witnesses described in gory detail the scene in which their aunt's cocker spaniel mix was found bleeding profusely on Feb. 4 at a house in Burbank.

Timo Bodtcher allegedly held the dog down with both hands as his sister stabbed the dog about 10 times with a 12-inch hunting knife, witnesses and prosecutors said in court.

The dog, Prince, was described as black and white, about a 1 1/2 feet tall and 2 1/2 feet.

A police officer who arrived at the scene in the 200 block of East Cedar Avenue that day testified that he saw a trail of blood leading to the top of the steps, where Prince was still barely alive. The officer told the court that the dog was "bleeding heavily" and was "sliced open" in a way that made his intestines hang out.

Prince died later that day.

Tim Bodtcher allegedly told the officer that day that the dog was "crazy" and "bites people."

Police have said the pair's mother, Maria Theresa Bodtcher, 47, helped cover up the incident after her children fled the scene, disposing of the knife near a dumpster at a shopping mall near Victory Boulevard and Vineland Avenue.

Superior Court Judge Patrick Hegarty declined the district attorney's request to issue a protective order for Prince's owner, Ingrid Maynez, but warned all three defendants to not intimidate or harass her.

Hegarty released Maria Bodtcher on her own recognizance Tuesday after her attorney, Vatche Tashjian, said she had no previous arrests, worked as a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District and did not pose a flight risk.

Today her charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor, and she was sentenced to three years of probation.

The siblings have posted $20,000 bail each since their arrest on Feb. 4.


Case Updates

One of two Burbank siblings charged with felony animal cruelty in the fatal stabbing of a family member's dog is scheduled to face a jury trial this summer.

The trial for Charissa Bodtcher, 23, is slated to be scheduled sometime in July after she appeared in Los Angeles County Superior Court this week for a pretrial hearing, a court clerk said.

She faces one felony count of animal cruelty or neglect.

Her brother, Timo Bodtcher, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges last month and is on probation, the clerk added. He is required to attend 16 classes on animal neglect as part of his three-year probation.

The 18-year-old also is not allowed to own any animal while on probation, or live in a residence that has an animal. Timo Bodtcher also must submit to a search by an animal control officer at his home, the clerk said. If he successfully completes the three years of probation, the charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor.

Authorities say Charissa Bodtcher stabbed the 2-year-old cocker spaniel mix, Prince, "numerous" times with a 12-inch hunting knife at her aunt's home in the 200 block of East Cedar Avenue.

Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Stewart alleged in court in February that Timo Bodtcher held the 30-pound dog down while his sister stabbed it about 10 times. The stabbing was so brutal, the dog's intestines were hanging out, Stewart added.

The siblings and their mother were arrested in February, but their mother, Maria Theresa Bodtcher, 47, was released on her own recognizance after her attorney, Vatche Tashjian, said she had no previous arrests, worked as a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District and did not pose a flight risk.

Tashjian also argued that his client was not at the home during the attack.

Maria Bodtcher allegedly helped cover up the incident after her children fled the scene, disposing of the knife near a dumpster at a shopping mall at Victory Boulevard and Vineland Avenue.
Source: Burbank Leader
Update posted on May 20, 2012 - 9:55AM 

References

« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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