Bestiality Suspect to Appear in Court

A 22-year-old man charged with sexually assaulting a dog and burglarizing a home in San Pedro was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Wednesday, police said Monday.

Christopher Caceres was recorded on video surveillance as he left one of the homes, according to Los Angeles police.

Police were sent to an address on West O'Farrell Street about noon on Nov. 10, and responding officers handed the investigation over to the department's Animal Cruelty Task Force, police said. The unit was started in 2005 and is made up of LAPD detectives and personnel from the city's Department of Animal Services.

Detectives with the task force alleged Caceres burglarized another home on West O'Farrell earlier that day, police said. No other information was made available about the alleged assault of the dog. 

Nevertheless, the San Pedro Beacon reported that the dog was an 80-pound Akita.

The man remained in the backyard for more than two hours, the footage shows. The man gave the dog treats, then "(pinned) the dog to the ground and (performed) multiple sexual acts on the dog while the canine (struggled) to break free of his grasp," the website reported.

The Beacon also reported that a rape kit was performed on the dog.

The homeowner reviewed the surveillance footage after finding an unusual amount of dog hair outside, he told the Beacon.

"I woke up because I heard something outside," said the homeowner, who requested anonymity. "Our dog greeted me and something seemed off. I didn't know what had happened, but I saw clumps of our dog's hair throughout the yard. I immediately went to the surveillance cameras, and I was absolutely disgusted with what I saw."

After the surveillance footage was discovered, an email warning was circulated to residents of San Pedro and the Miraleste area in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Caceres was arrested Nov. 14 and initially booked on suspicion of burglary, police said. On Nov. 18, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office filed burglary and bestiality charges against Caceres, who was jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail. If convicted on both counts, Caceres faces up to nine years in prison.

Caceres is due in court in Long Beach on Dec. 4 for a preliminary hearing, according to the District Attorney's Office.

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