A convicted sex offender on parole was charged Tuesday with attempted extortion for allegedly offering to return a lost dog to a 17-year-old girl in exchange for money or sex.
Alfredo Jaime Dempkey, 27, of Lancaster, pleaded not guilty to the felony charge.
Dempkey allegedly contacted the teen through the dog's tags after finding the lost cocker spaniel/toy poodle mix and offered to return the canine in exchange for $70 or sexual favors, authorities said.
The two arranged to meet Friday night in the parking lot of an El Pollo Loco restaurant, where he was met by the teen's father and Hawthorne police.
The dog was returned to its owner, according to Hawthorne police.
The girl told the Daily Breeze newspaper that the man told her he would "make (the dog) suffer" if she didn't give in to his demands.
The criminal complaint alleges that Dempkey was convicted in July 2003 of forcible oral copulation and criminal threats and that he was on parole when he was arrested Friday.
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Dempkey is due back in court July 8, with a date expected to be set then for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial.
