Former "NYPD Blue" writer Ted Shuttleworth has found himself in a real-life legal entanglement, after allegedly killing his poodle by punching it in the face.
Shuttleworth, who was arrested over the weekend, faces up to a year in prison for the death, the New York Post reports.
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According to the paper, the 51-year-old Shuttleworth punched the 4 1/2 pound poodle, named Lola (not pictured), after becoming annoyed with it on May 29. New York resident Shuttleworth brought the dog to a veterinarian, who contacted the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) after becoming suspicious about the circumstances behind the dog's death.
The organization then performed a necropsy on the animal and determined that it perished as a result of the punch.
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“Lola sustained a traumatic brain injury secondary to the application of blunt force to the right side of her head at the hands of the suspect, her owner,” ASPCA spokesman Joseph Pentangelo said.
Shuttleworth's wife, Isadora, told the paper that the death was "a horrible accident."
Shuttleworth wrote the script for the 2000 "NYPD Blue" episode "This Old Spouse." His writing credits also include "Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family."