LATEST UPDATE: CHARLOTTE SPADARO TRIAL TODAY CONSISTED OF MANY EXCUSES…READ MORE

Ex-mayor admits not licensing hundreds of dogs kept at Riverside property More than 200 dogs that allegedly did not have their tags were seized by Riverside County Animal Services officers during a Feb. 10, 2009 inspection of a property Spadaro leased at 5930 Jasmine St. By Staff, City News Service Wednesday, August 11, 2010 comment print page text size Former Beverly Hills Mayor Charlotte Spadaro testified today that many of the unlicensed dogs found on property she leased belonged to other people and were being boarded until other arrangements could be made. More than 200 dogs that allegedly did not have their tags were seized by Riverside County Animal Services officers during a Feb. 10, 2009 inspection of a property Spadaro leased at 5930 Jasmine St. During questioning at her non-jury trial on charges of violating Riverside’s dog licensing regulations, Spadaro acknowledged that her kennel license application to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services — with which Riverside contracts — was denied before the raid. Superior Court Judge Michele Levine asked Spadaro who was responsible for most of the dogs on the property. “The rescuers put the dogs there,” replied Spadaro. “We boarded the dogs. That was the purpose of the kennel.” Spadaro, 69, explained that some of the dogs were bound for “foster care” or the homes of rescuers. Levine asked whether Spadaro had ever done “anything to attain” licenses for the animals, to which she replied “no.” Spadaro also testified that she did not keep records of how many dogs she had, where they had been found or who had brought them to the property. “There are no records except what I can remember,” she said. Spadaro, Beverly Hills’ mayor from 1986-87 during a four-year term on its City Council, is charged with 30 violations of Riverside’s municipal code, which requires dogs more than four months old to be licensed and have had rabies vaccinations. Spadaro was originally charged with 242 infractions, but the bulk of the counts were dropped “in the interest of justice and judicial economy,” Deputy City Attorney Brandon Mercer said. If found guilty of all the charges, Spadaro, an attorney, could be fined nearly $3,000, according to Mercer. The trial lasted about two hours this afternoon. Levine is expected to decide the case after the prosecution and defense submit their closing statements in writing later this month. Spadaro, a self-proclaimed animal rescuer who lives in Redlands, is also facing 16 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty in a separate case filed by the District Attorney’s Office. The charges are tied to the April 24 seizure of 24 dogs, a mother cat and four kittens from a trailer in the 3000 block of Myers Street in Riverside. The animals were living in filth, without provisions, according to the Department of Animal Services. One dog died in the cramped trailer, which allegedly belonged to Spadaro Read more: http://www.swrnn.com/southwest-riverside/2010-08-11/news/ex-mayor-admits-not-licensing-hundreds-of-dogs-kept-at-riverside-property#ixzz0wM0Eq0wg