(Reuters) - A Baltimore police officer who slit the throat of a dog that bit a pregnant woman on the hand in June has been acquitted of animal cruelty charges, his attorney said on Thursday. Jeffrey Bolger, 50, was arrested in June after he used a knife to cut the throat of a 7-year-old female Shar-Pei named Nala who was on the loose from home, killing the animal. Charging documents said that while the animal was restrained, Bolger slashed its throat, saying he would "gut" the dog. Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn, who heard the evidence without a jury, spoke for one hour in rendering her verdict and said it would not be popular, according to Bolger's attorney Steve Levin. Phinn said there was insufficient evidence that Bolger killed the dog and that the pet may have died from the restraint applied by another officer before Bolger cut its throat, Levin said. "We are gratified that the judge based her decision on the evidence presented at trial and not the rumors and unsubstantiated allegations swirling around social media," Levin said.

Bolger, who has served as a Baltimore police officer since 1992, was suspended without pay following the incident. It was not immediately clear if the suspension would be lifted following his acquittal.







(Reporting by John Clarke in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles and Tom Brown)