Couple Charged With Animal Cruelty, Neglect After 93 Dogs Found Living In Arleta Home

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Criminal charges were filed Friday against an Arleta woman and her boyfriend for allegedly hoarding more than 90 dogs inside her home.

Christianna Billman Hartwell Coppola and her boyfriend, George Katcher, both 39, have been charged with three misdemeanor counts each of animal cruelty and animal neglect, officials from the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office said.

According to the City Attorney's Office, the couple was taking dogs out of animal shelters and soliciting donations for their care.

Officers from the Department of Animal Services responded in July to neighbor complaints of several animals in poor health and living conditions and foul odors from the property. They found dogs stacked in cages with a large amount of feces and urine and inadequate food and water, authorities said.

Coppola was covered in animal feces when officers responded to her San Fernando Valley home, according to the City Attorney's Office.

Ninety-three dogs were taken from the property, including some with life-threatening ailments. Many suffered from highly contagious illnesses, the City Attorney's Office said.

Coppola and Katcher are scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 11 in a San Fernando courtroom. If convicted, the two face up to six months in jail and $1,000 in fines on each count.

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