James Henderson, 48, pleaded guilty on Monday to felonious assault and was sentenced to spend two years in prison.
Authorities said Henderson was drunk while walking his pit bull in June at Lake Anna Park in Barberton when the dog tried to attack Sgt. Neil Laughlin's puppy. Police said the pit bull was on a leash, but was not properly restrained or muzzled.
Sgt. Laughlin was able to grab his puppy before the pit bull could get to it. The trooper then showed his badge to Henderson and told him to keep better control of his dog before walking away.
Henderson continued to swear at and follow the off-duty State Highway Patrol officer while threatening to sic his dog on them, prosecutors said. Henderson eventually released his pit bull.
Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh said Sgt. Laughlin shot and killed the dog in order to protect himself.
"This was a case of an individual who was drunk who intentionally released his dog on an off-duty officer. He was only not attacked because he was required to pull a gun and he shot and killed the dog before the dog could actually attack him," Bevan Walsh said.
Henderson could have gone to prison for up to 10 years, but he was given two years behind bars as part of a plea deal.
On Tuesday, Sgt. Laughlin declined to talk about the case or the sentence
(newsnet5.com - October 04, 2011)
