Case # 17HF1283
Date: July 13, 2018
MAN CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO NINE MONTHS IN JAIL
FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY AND PETTY THEFT AFTER KILLING
ROOMMATE’S DOG AND REMOVING EVIDENCE
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was convicted and sentenced to nine months in jail yesterday for animal cruelty and petty theft after killing his roommates’ dog and removing the evidence from the scene.
| Defendant | Charges | Sentence (Court Offer) |
| Justin James Pope, 27, Newport Beach
|
Pleaded guilty yesterday to the following counts:
Felony
Misdemeanor
|
Nine months in Orange County Jail
Five years of formal probation |
Circumstances of the Case
- At the time of the crime, Pope had been roommates with Jane Doe for approximately one month.
- On Aug. 30, 2017, at approximately 4:30 p.m., Pope killed Jane Doe’s dog in their home.
- Jane Doe received a call from Pope informing her of the death of her dog and contacted the Newport Beach Police Department (NBPD).
- NBPD officers responded to the residence. Blood, urine, and feces were observed in suspicious locations, but no property was missing from the home at the time.
- After officers left, Pope staged a burglary, removed evidence, and disposed of Jane Doe’s television in a nearby apartment complex.
- At approximately 10:22 p.m., Jane Doe called NBPD to report a residential burglary occurred at the residence. Jane Doe’s television, Pope’s television and Xbox, and evidence previously in the home during the earlier investigation were missing.
- NBPD located the missing television and Xbox in the trunk of Pope’s vehicle and arrested Pope at the scene.
Newport Beach Police Department Animal Control Unit investigated this case.
Prosecutor: Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Malone, Environmental Protection Unit