LOUISIANA -- The former Sulphur police officer accused of fatally shooting a dog in late April was indicted Thursday on a charge of animal cruelty.
The grand jury declined to indict him on a charge of simple animal cruelty.
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| Brian L. Thierbach |
Thierbach resigned in early May while he was being investigated by the Sulphur Police Department and the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office. Thierbach gained national attention after shooting a dog named Arzy, a Labrador / Golden Retriever / Newfoundland mix, during an arrest.
Bond was set at $20,000 and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Alyson Antoon, the attorney for Brandon Carpenter, Arzy's owner, confirms the charge and says Thierbach is expected to turn himself in.
"It's a step in the right direction," said Carpenter. "It's hard to believe someone is actually doing something about this."
"I really do feel bad for Officer Thierbach's family. It must be a hard thing to go through," Carpenter said.
(KPLCTV - June 5, 2014)
This article doesn't tell the full story. Brandon Carpenter is homeless and when his dog was shot, he was in the process of hopping a train -- which is illegal. People in a nearby office saw Carpenter and another bum near the tracks and called the police. The officer said the dog threatened him and this was the reason he shot it and this is probably the truth. It's getting to the point that an officer is in more trouble if he shoots a dog than if he shoots a human being and this is SAD!
ReplyDeleteThis is another case of an owner failing to train his fleabag because if the dog had been trained, it would have obeyed the owner's voice commands. Carpenter is from Maine and I read a comment on one site where someone who knew him personally said Carpenter had been a bum all his life and his "grief" over the loss of "Arzy" was just a put-on because he was hoping for a huge monetary settlement.
The fact the police officer in question resigned does NOT prove he is guilty. More than likely, he was simply disgusted at being persecuted for shooting an aggressive dog and said to "h*ll with it."