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Attorney Accused Of Sexually Abusing Dog Ordered To Stay Away From Animals, Kids

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh attorney accused of sexually abusing his dog went before a judge Friday.

Attorney Ivan DeVoren has been out of jail since these charges were filed on Feb. 21. Now, the court is ordering him to do three things.

DeVoren is accused of sexually abusing his 6-month-old yellow lab, Snoopy. The 61-year-old lives and works in his apartment in Highland Park. According to detectives, a witness told them they overheard the sexual abuse happening at least ten times.

Today, President Judge Jeffrey Manning ordered DeVoren to do three things while he awaits his preliminary hearing:

1) he must have outpatient mental health treatment
2) he must have a drug and alcohol evaluation (and comply with any recommended treatment)
3) and he must have no contact with animals or children.

"He's going to comply with the court order. He has been very cooperative with us. Very calm demeanor and doesn't seem to be problematic in any other regard," said attorney Brent McCune, who is one of the lawyers representing DeVoren.

Attorney Randall Ricciuti is the other lawyer working on DeVoren's case.

"There's a presumption of innocence in this country for a reason. This case is an example of that. There is a defense. We're not going to talk about it now, there will be more to come," said McCune.

DeVoren is facing ten felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty, ten counts of sexual intercourse with an animal, and possession of heroin, cocaine and marijuana.

"It's a circumstantial case and there is a defense. We just stand on the presumption of innocence now, we'll have the preliminary hearing and we'll take it from there," said McCune.

KDKA has been getting lots of inquires about Snoopy and so has the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office. Snoopy is in veterinary care and doing well. Officials are not disclosing his location. This case is in the very early stages, and Snoopy is a key piece of evidence and will continue to be until it's resolved.

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