2 alleged Echo Park dog-nappers who impersonated LAPD officers appear in court

ECHO PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A preliminary hearing is unfolding in Los Angeles Superior Court with a plot line that reads like a pet detective caper.

The central figure is a poodle mix named Fanny. At stake is the future of two animal lovers who now face two misdemeanors and two felony charges.

Jenny Smiley, 52, and Shannah Tenner, 53, say it was an act of compassion that compelled them to take Fanny from her owner, Cesar Aguilar.

On Wednesday, Aguilar testified that the two women duped him into thinking they were police officers. They demanded his dog.

"The truth is I was very sad because I asked her not to take her," said Aguilar through a translator.

He told the court that Smiley and Tenner came to his apartment, dressed in uniforms, bearing badges and papers threatening a $20,000 fine. He testified the women said that neighbors saw him mistreat Fanny and that not only did he have to give her up, he would be surveilled to be sure he didn't get another pet.

The Spanish-speaking immigrant said he felt threatened.

"She said that if I had a dog in the future they would even send immigration," Aguilar said.

The two women face charges of burglary, extortion, grand theft and unlawful use of a badge.

In April, LAPD sent out an alert. Eyewitness News pursued the investigation, bringing viewers exclusive details about the case. Detectives say it was a tip from an Eyewitness News viewer that led them to Fanny and the two defendants.

The women say they did not witness Aguilar mistreating Fannie, but had heard shocking accounts from a neighbor. They believe that Aguilar kicked Fanny and kept her cooped in a small cage.

Defense attorney David Katz says the women were upset that other animal advocates did not intervene.

"A tenant in that building had alerted PETA and PETA had not taken action that abated the problem. Then the SPCA had been called out there. The SPCA could not address the problem either," Katz told Eyewitness News

LAPD says they have records of the SPCA's visit and that the officer found no evidence of abuse.

The preliminary hearing will resume on Friday. If the women are convicted on all counts, they could face up to eight years in prison.