One year in prison for policeman who shot girlfriend’s dog

A police officer in the southern US state of Virginia has been sentenced to one year in prison for shooting his girlfriend’s dog and lying about it to investigators.

Richard Chinappi, a Richmond police officer, pleaded guilty to maiming an animal and making a false report to police, according to court documents.

In October, according to press reports, Chinappi shot his then fiancee’s beagle mix with a shotgun and claimed — falsely — to police that it happened when the dog was attacked by a bear.

Chinappi, who became a police officer in 2016, was sentenced on Friday in Powhatan County Circuit Court to five years in prison with four years suspended.