Trial For Baltimore Officer Accused Of Killing Dog Has Begun

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The trial for a Baltimore police officer accused of killing a dog has commenced.

A judge heard opening statements Monday in the trial of 50-year-old Jeffrey Bolger. He is charged with multiple counts including mutilation of an animal and animal cruelty.

Prosecutors say Bolger slit a dog's throat in June 2014.

Witnesses testified that Bolger responded to a call about a dog that had bitten a pregnant woman. Thomas Schmidt, Bolger's partner, testified that while he subdued the dog, Bolger bent over, making a slicing motion, and then he saw blood and the dog's motionless body.

Bolger's attorneys say the dog had strangled itself and Bolger was trying to put it out of its misery.

The trial is expected to take a couple of days.