The penalties for hitting police animals escalate as follows: teasing carries which charge, harming carries which charge, and great bodily harm or death carries which charge?

• A. 2nd misd. 1st misd. 3rd felony
• B. 1st misd. 2nd misd. 3rd felony
• C. 3rd felony 2nd misd. 1st misd.
• D. 2nd felony 1st misd. 3rd misd.

Answer: (A)

The concept being tested is how penalties rise with the level of harm to a police animal. Teasing a police animal is treated as the least serious act and is charged as a second-degree misdemeanor. If the animal is harmed, the offense becomes more serious and is charged as a first-degree misdemeanor. If the harm is so severe that it results in great bodily harm or death, the charge escalates to a third-degree felony. This makes sense because the law increases punishment as the harm to the animal increases, culminating in a felony for the most serious outcome. The other sequences don’t fit because they would place the levels in incorrect order or misclassify the final harm as a lesser offense.