CALIFORNIA -- A Lake County dog is on the lam after being nabbed from Mendocino County’s animal control facility, where it was quarantined for biting a police officer.
The dog’s owner, Jessica Rachelle Armstrong, 40, and friends on Monday distracted Animal Control employees, then fled with the Queensland heeler, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
Armstrong later told authorities the dog is being quarantined at a secret location in Lake County.
The dog was seized last week in Fort Bragg when Armstrong refused to comply with instructions from a police officer during a routine traffic stop, Fort Bragg Police Sgt. Brandon Lee said.
Armstrong, a farrier from Hidden Valley Lake who was visiting the coast to tend to a horse, was stopped for driving without wearing a seat belt, he said. She refused to show the officer her identification or vehicle registration, saying she “was not engaged in a contract with the republic of California” and that police have no authority over her, Lee said.
“She was adamant,” said Lee. “She said ‘I’m not driving, I am traveling in my private property.’”
Lee said he has heard similar sentiments espoused by members of the “Sovereign Citizens” movement, who believe the government is illegitimate.
Officer Elsa Pimentel advised Armstrong that she could be arrested, her car towed and dog seized if she did not comply, but that only made Armstrong angry, Lee said.
She could be heard screaming when Pimentel radioed for backup, he said.
When Lee and another officer arrived, they tried to reason with Armstrong, then pulled her from the truck.
Armstrong resisted and grabbed the dog by its collar, dragging the animal with her. The dog also was wearing a shock collar, which zapped Lee and the dog when he tried to pry Armstrong’s fingers from the animal, he said.
The dog nipped at the officers, biting one of them, Lee said.
As warned, Armstrong was arrested on suspicion of obstructing police operations, her truck was towed and her dog was seized.
She quickly made bail and was released but animal control authorities refused to return her dog. Dogs that bite people are required by law to be quarantined if there is no documentation they have been vaccinated for rabies.
Armstrong could not be reached for comment. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has forwarded the case to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
(Press Democrat - Nov 23, 2011)
