The Region - News from Feb. 20, 1986

A West Los Angeles woman entered not guilty pleas to seven misdemeanor charges involving an allegedly fraudulent home-finding service for pets. Margarita Sorzano, 58, is charged with accepting payments of $20 to $50 from pet owners who believed she would find new homes for their animals. Instead, according to charges filed in Whittier Municipal Court, Sorzano drove the animals to parks and abandoned them. In response to newspaper and television stories about the case, scores of pet owners have contacted the Fund for Animals, a private organization, claiming that they were victimized by the woman. The prosecutor, Deputy Dist. Atty. Allen Field, said it is possible that more charges will be filed against Sorzano after he reviews the additional claims.