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Mother Apologizes For Son Accused Of Drugging, Raping Akita

SAN PEDRO (CBSLA.com) — The mother of a young man accused of sexually assaulting a San Pedro family's Akita says she has apologized to the dog's owners and that her son needs help.

Lisa Cacares told the Daily Breeze she and her husband had no idea and that they are sorry about what happened.

Her son, 22-year-old Christopher Cacares pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of animal cruelty and sexual assault of an animal. He is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting an 80-pound Akita, which was discovered after the dog's owner set up a surveillance camera to find out why his dog had been wailing during the night, the newspaper reported.

Los Angeles police officers arrested Cacares on Nov. 14.

Lisa Cacares said her mother has Alzheimer's disease, so she and her family moved into her home in San Pedro to help care for her.

Twice in recent months, the dog's owner heard his dog shriek during the night in his backyard in the 1900 block of Summerland Avenue, the newspaper reported. He suspected she was reacting to a prowler, so he installed video equipment.

The dog's owner discovered a man feeding his dog something, causing the animal to relax, and sexually assaulted her, according to the Breeze.

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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