Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

A neighbor�s dogs have been barking nonstop for 3 weeks. I sent the owners a letter two weeks politely asking them to make the dogs stop. They didn�t. I filed a report with the city a week ago and the dogs were still barking. Today was the second day in a row they started at 5:00AM. I went to the house in person. There is no front door because it is behind the fence with the vicious dogs (they have bitten numerous people). I therefore knocked on the window. The owner came out and I asked him to have his dogs stop barking, he said �they�re dogs, fuck you� and walked back in. I knocked on his window again and he said he was calling the cops. We verbally yelled at each other for about two minutes. The cops came to my door and said that he said I took my shirt off and wanted to fight, which is untrue. I told the police what I said above. The cops said the only reason I wasn�t in handcuffs was because the dogs had bitten him too. The cop asked me not to go there again and said he would tell the guy to let it go and not press charges. The cop called me and asked me to �call dispatch� when I got his message. Here are my questions:

1. What can they charge me with? If anything?

2. Should I call him back?

3. What should I say/not say in my next call with him?

4. Any other advice?

5. What could they be trying to charge me with?


Asked on 5/17/13, 1:24 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Zadik Shapiro Law Offices of C. Zadik Shapiro

Do not call the police back. Generally the reason they want to talk to you is that they do not have a case against and they want to make you say something that will give them a case. You may want to hire an attorney to call the cops. Its hard to say what you could be charged with since we do not know what your neighbor told the officer. Trespass is the first thing that comes to my mind. But we have so many laws that they can always find something to charge you.

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Answered on 5/17/13, 11:54 pm


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