SAN DIEGO - He's already a convicted felon, and on Friday David Hail Warner appeared in court to face another felony charge of animal cruelty for choking his 10-week-old puppy, Coco.
Warner pled not guilty just hours after Coco died on Friday.
"This was a willful act of pure animal cruelty," says Lt. Dan DeSousa of the County Department of Animal Services.
In court, the prosecutor described how Warner changed his story about what happened to the puppy several times. He initially told investigators the dog had hung itself with its collar and leash. Warner finally told prosecutors he was trying to teach the dog a lesson by pinning the dog down and holding it by the throat for 20 seconds.
"He didn't use the word choking, but he said he held it down by its neck and when he let it go after a while, the dog was unconscious and had urinated, and that's when they took it to the vet," says Deputy District Attorney Garrett Randall.
Lt. DeSousa says they did everything possible to save the dog but its lungs were already field with fluid and it trachea was crushed.
"I've been in this field 20 years and it still turns my stomach," says DeSousa.
The maximum jail time Warner can get is three years behind bars.
