Austin cop arrested on animal cruelty, child endangerment charges

Editor’s Note: The following story has descriptions of alleged animal abuse or cruelty. Reader discretion is advised.

A Kyle man faces animal cruelty and child endangerment charges after authorities accuse him of beating his dog in front of his 10-year-old son while in their yard, with all of it caught on video.

Christopher Vetrano, 47, of Kyle, was booked into the Hays County Jail July 27 on a charge of cruelty to non-livestock, a third-degree felony, along with abandoning or endangering a child, which is a state jail felony. Kyle city officials confirmed Vetrano currently works as an Austin Police Department officer. Vetrano was not on duty when the alleged incidents took place.