BEVERLY HILLS— Environmental risk consulting firm CEO Jeffrey Previte was caught on security camera abusing his dog in his Santa Monica condo. He was charged with one misdemeanor account of animal neglect by the city attorney of “keeping an animal without proper care or attention,” according to an email by city of Santa Monica Public Information Officer Constance Farrell.
The Daily Mail, a UK-based newspaper, uploaded a 30 second video of Previte yanking his dog by the collar and jerking the animal as he went back and forth through a door.
The video, taken on August 22 and shows the act of animal abuse by the CEO of the Los Angeles-based EBI Consulting firm, who is involved in the delivery of environmental and engineering consulting to the wireless industry.
If convicted of animal neglect, Previte faces up to six months in jail and could be ordered to pay a $500 fine. According to TMZ, Previte regretted his attempt to discipline his dog, and was “heartbroken” over the incident.
The Seychelle Condominiums management sent a formal statement apologizing to the Daily Mail:
“The apparent conduct of the unit owner was abhorrent and completely unacceptable. Building management stands behind our employee and we took swift action including contacting animal control and directing the resident to cease all contact with our employee. We continue to evaluate other measures that can be taken with our counsel.”
The front desk worker, who chose to remain anonymous, told the Daily Mail that he “heard the dog screaming” and “saw him beating the dog” on camera.
“He became irate and then he hung up on me,” the man said describing his interaction with Previte. “He apologized the next day, but I didn’t think it was a sincere apology.” He also stated in his report to the condominium that he felt threatened and generally felt unwelcomed by staff.
In his August 22 complaint the man described Previte’s actions: “He was very angry. He was choking and slapping the dog. He even slammed the poor dog against the wall. I later called him to tell him I had a video and I had to report it. He began getting very hostile and he was very aggressive and very violent.”
Concerning the interaction with the condominium worker, Previte told the Daily Mail the man was trying to extort money from him.
“I think this is very unfortunate that this has come across your desk. I don’t even know exactly what to say but will say this: The concierge called me the evening of this interaction with my dog and that was at nine o’clock at night and he attempted to extort money from me so that he wouldn’t report it to the building,” said Previte.
The concierge noted that Previte had no kids and dated “strange women” that come in and out.
“He’s hardly there. He goes back and forth to Boston. He is probably only there once every two months. You hardly see him. He drives fancy cars and he is in and out.”
His Facebook page may be deactivated. The Daily Mail uploaded photos of his personal life, describing him as an “avid hunter.”
In a statement Previte sent to the Daily Mail in September, he denied being violent with the dog and called the attention he received unfortunate.
“There’s nothing illegal about what I did. I said if you need to tell the building, tell the building. The building manager took it very seriously. I find it very unfortunate that we are even talking about this.”
According to TMZ, Previte said he was taking a leave of absence from his job, enrolling in an anger management program, and has placed his dog with a loving family. He described himself as an “imperfect person” who hopes for some level of forgiveness as he tries to become a better man.
