RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A police officer in Virginia has been sentenced to one year in prison for fatally shooting his then-fiance dog with a 12-gauge shotgun. WRIC reports that Richard Chinappi III was sentenced Friday in Powhatan County Circuit Court. The Richmond police officer had pleaded guilty to a felony charge of torturing or maiming a dog or cat and making a false report to police. Prosecutors said that Chinappi initially claimed a bear had attacked the dog. He then allegedly changed his story to say he had shot the bear and killed the dog in the process. Richmond police said in a statement that Chinappi remains on leave without pay. But the department also said that it’s very close to concluding an internal investigation.
