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“It’s just an unfortunate, tragic accident. I wish it could go back and be undone,” said a distraught Alfred Bennett.
The Louisa County dog owner was visibly upset Tuesday when he spoke with CBS19. Bennett’s pit bull, Coco, is being held responsible for the death of Maggie, a K-9 in the Louisa County Sheriff’s Department killed in the line of duty.
Lieutenant Patrick Sheridan, the K-9's partner and owner, says he, two other deputies and Maggie responded to reports of an suicidal person in the area of a home Courthouse Road in the early morning hours of Saturday, Dec. 10. All four were tracking the unnamed person when they say Coco appeared from the darkness and attacked Maggie.
The deputies were able to wrestle Maggie's attacker away from her, but the beloved tan and brown bloodhound did not survive the attack. She died on Monday.
“This dog viciously bit Maggie several times and it was substantial enough to infect her and ultimately kill her,” said Major Lowe, advocating that Coco be declared vicious and possibly put down.
Bennett says Coco, who is being held at a local animal shelter, is a member of his family, just as Maggie was a member of Lt. Sheridan’s. He maintains his pit bull is not a danger to society.
“I want to personally send out my heartfelt and deepest sympathies to the officer. It was a tragic accident. No one meant for this to happen in any way, shape or form,” he said. “[Coco] is not a vicious animal, that’s all I want to get across.”
[Hmm, a "tragic accident". When a pit bull runs up to a Bloodhound K9 and viciously attacks it, it is NOT a "tragic accident". It is a premeditated act of violence and bloodlust by his pit bull.]
Members of the sheriff’s department say Maggie’s death could have been prevented. They say Coco was roaming free when he attacked, but Bennett argues that’s because he escaped from his harness.
“He got off the chain. When they picked him up he still had the harness on him. I don’t believe in letting dogs run at large, period,” he said emphatically.
Hurting his master's argument, Coco has already caused problems after just three days at the animal shelter. “The first night they put the dog in the shelter he chewed through the cage and got loose. They had to recapture him,” Major Lowe explained.
[In the video, they said the pit bull owner admitted that this was not the first time his dog was discovered to have been running loose off his property, saying that deputies notified him once and another time brought the dog back to him.]
Maggie, a six-year veteran, worked more than 300 cases with the sheriff's department, helping to solve crimes and locate missing people. Major Lowe called her an irreplaceable member of the team.
A memorial service is being planned for Maggie to honor her service in Louisa County and across Central Virginia. You can learn more about Maggie and Lt. Sheridan and offer your condolences on the Louisa County Sheriff's Department Facebook page.
(Newsplex - December 13, 2011)
