A former TV screenwriter for the hit police show “NYPD Blue” could face up to a year in prison if convicted of punching his tiny poodle so hard that the animal died.
51-year-old Ted Shuttleworth was arrested at his home in Queens Saturday after employees at a veterinary hospital grew suspicious over the death of the 4.5-pound dog, Lola, according to the New York Post.
The animal hospital alerted the ASCPA after Shuttleworth brought in the 5-year-old dog’s remains. The ASPCA conducted a necropsy on Lola’s remains and found that she died due to a traumatic brain injury caused by blunt force to the right side of her head.
Shuttleworth, who is currently working as an administrative assistant at NYU, is accused of punching Lola in the face on May 29. If convicted, the charge could carry a sentence of a year behind bars.
When contacted by reporters, his wife, Isadora Monk Shuttleworth, called the incident “a horrible accident.”
