Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Dog-attack case dismissed at request of victim

INDIANA -- A criminal charge filed against a Middletown man over his dog’s misconduct has been dismissed.

Paul K. Johnson Jr., 38, was charged in December with dog bite liability, a Class C misdemeanor carrying up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

According to a report filed by Middletown officer Kim Cronk, Johnson’s dog attacked Drew Cooper — the town’s clerk-treasurer — Dec. 4 while he was on an exercise run on Locust Street.

Cooper said that while he was running east, he heard some barking behind him, then suddenly “went flying forward off his feet onto the hard pavement,” the report said.

After being knocked down, Cooper was “sprawled on his stomach with his face inches away from the road surface,” wrote Cronk, a former Henry County sheriff. When the victim rolled over, “he found a large brown dog standing over him barking in a threatening manner,” the document said.

The clerk-treasurer said when he shouted at the dog to get back, the canine “appeared confused and backed off and went into a driveway.”

 Johnson later acknowledged to police that his canine “got loose” and was running in his front yard the day of the attack.

Henry County Prosecutor Joseph Bergacs said last week the charge against Johnson had been dropped at the request of Cooper, who is Middletown’s clerk-treasurer.

(Muncie Star Press - ‎Feb 1, 2015‎)

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