NEW HAMPSHIRE -- A police dog who served the police department for 10 years was euthanized Monday after losing a long battle with cancer.
“This past year, K9 Max had several surgeries to remove cancerous tumors from his body,” police said in a news release. “Despite his cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatment, K9 Max continued to work along with officer Jeremy Perkins and they were an effective team until the very end.”
Police said the Belgian Malinois was responsible “for countless drug seizures, apprehensions and rescues.”
Lebanon’s police K9 teams train at the Vermont Police Academy and on several occasions, Perkins and Max were awarded the Vermont Police K9 Patrol Team of the Year award, police said.
“K9 Max spent his last day on patrol with his handler doing his duty, as he did for the last ten years,” the news release said. “At approximately 1 p.m., K9 Max and Officer Perkins arrived at the Stonecliff Animal Hospital where K9 Max entered the facility through a receiving line of police officers rendering a salute.
NEW YORK -- A New York State Police dog was fatally shot Monday during a search of a home in Lewis County, the state police announced Tuesday.
The dog, K9 Will, was hit by a bullet fired by his partner, Trooper Shaun Smith, police said. The bullet ricocheted and hit the dog in the stomach, police said.
At approximately 11 p.m. Monday, state police were assisting the Lewis County Sheriff's Office with a search warrant at a residence on Woodcreek Road in the Town of Greig, police said.
K9 Will was attacked by a pit bull dog that ran from the residence, police said.
Smith fired once, striking the leg of the pit bull, police said.
From the preliminary investigation, it appears the bullet ricocheted off the gravel stone driveway and hit K9 Will in the stomach, police said.
The dog was transported to Countryside Veterinary Clinic in Lowville but he died there, police said.
The pit bull survived and was being treated by a veterinarian, said Jack Keller, a spokesman for the State Police. Asked if the owners of the pit bull face charges, he said the incident is under investigation.
K9 Will was a 3-year-old Belgian-Malinois who graduated from the State Police basic K9 school in April of 2017, police said
K9 Will was named after Trooper William G. Doyle, who was shot and killed by escapees from a mental institution on December14, 1967, police said.
COLORADO -- A 23-year-old man who duct-taped his dog’s mouth shut and left the animal in a car parked at the Durango Community Recreation Center has been charged with animal cruelty.
Both the 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and La Plata County Animal Protection declined to comment for this story.
According to a complaint and summons filed in La Plata County Combined Courts, Animal Protection was called about 6 p.m. July 18 to the 2700 block of Main Avenue for a report of a German Shepherd-type dog that was found in a vehicle with its mouth duct-taped shut.
Three days later, Animal Protection ticketed Thomas D. Ethridge with cruelty to animals, a Class I misdemeanor. He is scheduled to appear at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 23 in La Plata County Court.
Juliet Piccone, a Denver attorney who specializes in animal law, said Ethridge’s actions raise concerns on many levels. To start, the animal could have easily over-heated in the 89-degree day.
“He has the dog with its muzzle duct-taped shut, so the dog can’t pant,” said Piccone. “That car can become deadly within 10 to 15 minutes.”
Betty Dorr of Durango said her son and his friends walked by Ethridge’s car and alerted her of the situation. She immediately walked over to find Ethridge and his dog coming back from a walk on the Animas River Trail.
“We told him it was inappropriate, and he didn’t seem to be interested in our opinion of how he was treating his dog,” Dorr said. “Then we called 911.”
Dorr said Ethridge left before authorities arrived. However, she was able to take a picture of his car and license plate number, which Animal Protection tracked to Ethridge’s family in Florida.
Ethridge told The Durango Herald on Tuesday that he moved to Durango from Florida about a month ago, and since then, he and his 9-month-old male Belgian Malinois, Appa, have been living out of his car, struggling to find a job and housing.
That morning, Ethridge said Appa was vomiting random items he had eaten in the car, even chewing up the leash Ethridge used to keep Appa in an area of the car clear of items.
Later in the day, Ethridge said he went to the rec center to take a shower. He said he duct-taped his dog’s mouth shut so that he wouldn’t eat anything else in the car, and also because he was concerned that Appa, who is aggressive to other people, may attack someone through the window, which he left rolled down.
“I didn’t do this maliciously or to harm him,” Ethridge said. “I love my animal. ... I’ve spent every single day with him.”
Ethridge said when he found out Animal Protection was trying to find him, he went to the La Plata County Humane Society, without his dog, where he was issued the ticket.
Ethridge is in possession of Appa. He said he’s willing to face the consequences of his actions.
“I don’t think what I did was the extreme animal abuse of the century, but I understand it is against the law,” he said. “I totally accept what I did and the punishment for it.”
Piccone said Ethridge bought a breed that is typically used for police work, and he seems ill-suited to train it. As a result, the dog, as well as other people, are at risk, she said.
“He’s not only committing the crime of animal cruelty, he’s also in possession of a dangerous dog,” Piccone said. “He has this dog for ‘protection.’ That’s not a pet, that’s not safe, and that’s not humane.”
Well clearly he's not in his right mind. He gets busted for drugs in Florida, gets handed a 2-year probation, moves off to Colorado, gets himself a dog he's obviously not mature enough to own - Belgian Malinois dogs are for experienced owners - thinks it's a good idea to not just leave the dog to cook inside a hot vehicle, but he holds the dog down and wraps duct tape around this poor dog's face while he goes inside the rec center. Now, with this new charge of animal cruelty, he has violated his probation. They need to take this dog from him permanently.
VIDEO NEWS CLIP:
PREVIOUS ARREST: Arrest Date: 01/22/2016
Full name: Thomas Damico Ethridge
Gender: Male
Race: White
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 150 lbs
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Birthdate: 01/25/1994
Arrest age: 21
Arresting agency: Sarasota County, Florida
Charge:
MARIJUANA-POSSESS: POSSESS MARIJUANA OVER 20 GRAMS
Sentence Type: Drug Offender Probation
Sentence length: 24 months
Sentence Date: 06/14/2016 CURRENTLY ON PROBATION
UTAH -- A deputy with the Cache County Sheriff’s Office was charged Wednesday with misdemeanor aggravated cruelty to an animal after his canine partner died when left in a hot patrol vehicle.
Deputy Jason Whittier was the K-9 handler assigned to work with Endy, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois.
The Cache County Sheriff’s Office in northern Utah reported on Tuesday that Whittier left Endy in his patrol truck at the end of a shift on July 3 and the dog cooked to death (aka died of heat exhaustion).
If convicted of misdemeanor aggravated cruelty to an animal, Whittier faces a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The Cache County Attorney’s Office issued a press release on Wednesday that states it is working closely with investigators, who are members of the independent Northern Utah Critical Task Force, to gather any additional facts related to this case.
“This tragedy serves as a stark reminder to never leave children or animals alone inside of a car for any amount of time, as temperatures can quickly rise to a deadly level,” said Tony Baird, chief deputy with the Cache County Attorney’s Office.
Because of the ongoing investigation, authorities said they will not have additional comments at this time.
“This is a case attributed to distraction with tragic consequences. Endy’s death serves as a devastating reminder to us all about the importance of eliminating distractions, maintaining a routine, and being vigilant about never leaving children or pets unattended in hot vehicles,” Cache County Sheriff Chad Jensen said in a press release on Tuesday.
When Jensen was notified of the dog’s death, Deputy Whittier was immediately placed on administrative leave and Jensen requested two separate investigations — one to be completed internally and another to be completed by the Northern Utah Critical Incident Task Force.
“My administration has conducted a comprehensive review of our canine program including equipment, care, welfare, daily maintenance, and training,” Jensen said. “I believe our policies and procedures are sound. This incident was a result of human error and protocol violation.”
Administrative action has been taken within the sheriff’s office and included leave without pay and a job reassignment for Whittier.
Patrol vehicles for K-9 officers are equipped with safety features that are in place during a shift when the vehicle is operating. However, after Endy’s death, Jensen said the sheriff’s office is looking into new technology that will require the officer to manually shut down a security system at the end of a shift. If that system is not shut down, it will activate horns, lights and sirens until the dog is removed.
“The loss of Endy was unexpected and heartbreaking, and our officers mourn his loss,” Jensen said. “Endy was a beloved member of our organization and our community. The effects of his loss are felt throughout the Sheriff’s Office and law enforcement throughout Cache County.”
Prior to working with the Cache County Sheriff’s Office, Endy was a K-9 at the Logan City Police Department.
The sheriff’s office said, “The Cache County Sheriff’s Office will be holding a memorial service at the Sheriff’s Complex honoring Endy, his service, and the legacy he leaves among law enforcement and residents across the valley. Interment will follow. The community is invited to attend, and details will be announced through our website www.cachesheriff.com and on our Facebook page.”
UTAH -- The Cache County Sheriff’s Office has released further details about the death of a K-9 service dog, earlier this month. Endy is reported to have suffered and died of heat exhaustion July 3, after being left unattended in a patrol vehicle.
Sheriff Chad Jensen said Endy’s handler (Deputy Jason Whittier) was "distracted" after finishing his shift, accidentally leaving the dog in the patrol truck.
The deputy was placed on administrative leave, pending an internal investigation and an independent investigation by the Northern Utah Critical Incident Task Force.
“I can’t even describe the words to tell you how he feels right now,” said Jensen. “The same sentiment is that way through our whole organization.”
The internal investigation identified that the handler did not follow policy and procedures, resulting in Endy’s death. He has been reassigned and will not be paid during his leave.
Jensen explained that all K-9 patrol vehicles are equipped with safety features for the dog, while the handler is on-duty and the vehicle is left running. In the case of Endy’s death though, the equipment was not running because the handler was off-duty.
“There is other products out there that we are looking into right now and will have installed within the next couple of weeks. One of them is more of an End of Tour or End of Watch type system.
"It is a system that automatically turns on with the ignition, but when you shut the ignition off it requires a manual shutdown of the system, and gives a verbal reminder to the handler that the dog is still in the vehicle.
“If for whatever reason, the system doesn’t get shut down manually, in just a few seconds after the ignition is turned off, it will set off the lights, sirens and the horns, to again notify the handler that the dog is still in the vehicle.”
Endy was one of two dogs that made up the Sheriff’s Office K-9 team. He, along with Rokki were often dispatched to suspected drug arrests and patrolled the jail.
Jensen said the sheriff’s office will be hold a memorial service honoring Endy, his service, and the legacy he leave among law enforcement and residents across the valley.
“Right now we are kind of shooting towards the middle of next week, just to make sure that all the parties, the public and law enforcement are invited. The handlers and some of the trainers also wanted to be here, so we are going to try and time it with that.”
Jensen said this is a case where being preoccupied had tragic consequences.
“Endy’s death serves as a devastating reminder to us all about the importance of eliminating distractions, maintain a routine, and being vigilant about never leaving children or pets unattended in hot vehicles.”
The Northern Utah Critical Incident Task Force's independent investigation is still ongoing. It is being led by the Cache County Attorney’s Office.
CALIFORNIA -- A Grover Beach police officer who resigned after his police-trained pet Belgian Malinois killed one neighbor and mauled another is now facing a third felony charge — involuntary manslaughter.
Though the new charge does not change the maximum possible sentence former officer Alex Geiger already faced if convicted, it allows prosecutors more options as the case enters the preliminary hearing phase, District Attorney Dan Dow said Monday.
Geiger, 25, appeared in court Monday for a scheduled preliminary hearing in which evidence would have been presented before a judge, who would have decided whether there was enough of a case to proceed to trial on the already-filed charges of failing to maintain control over a dangerous animal resulting in injury or death. Geiger previously pleaded not guilty.
Instead, Deputy District Attorney Stephen Wagner filed a motion to amend the existing complaint to include the manslaughter charge. The preliminary hearing was then continued to July 18 to allow Geiger and his attorney, Visalia-based John Jackson, time to prepare their defense and enter a plea.
Geiger during a demonstration in Hanford
Jackson could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.
Geiger already was facing a maximum of up to four years in prison on the two initial charges. Dow said that Wagner, since taking over the case, decided to file the involuntary manslaughter charge to provide the prosecution more options when the case is scrutinized by a judge during the preliminary hearing.
For the previous charges — failing to maintain control over a dangerous animal — Wagner must prove simple negligence and that Geiger had knowledge of his dog’s propensity for violence, Dow said. For involuntary manslaughter, Wagner has to prove gross negligence, a higher standard, but doesn’t have to prove that Geiger was aware the dog was dangerous.
Dow said evidence in the case proves all three charges, but Geiger could not be sentenced for all three under state law, meaning his maximum exposure remains about four years.
On Dec. 13, Geiger’s two pet dogs, the Belgian Malinois and a German shepherd, somehow got loose from Geiger’s home and attacked 86-year-old Betty Long, who lived down the street in the 1100 block of Nacimiento Avenue, as she walked her dog. Long’s neighbor, 64-year-old David Fear, came to her aid and was also attacked. He died three days later in a local hospital.
The Beligian Malinois named Neo was euthanized that afternoon, but the German shepherd was spared after officials later determined it was not the aggressor in the incident. That dog was sent to live in a secure private residence outside of SLO County.
Geiger, who was not home at the time of the attack, resigned from the Grover Beach Police Department on Feb. 1, one day before charges were filed. Though the city did not identify Geiger as the dogs’ owner for more than a week, it was quick to point out the dogs were not associated with the Police Department.
Geiger had been hired three months prior to the attack, leaving a post in the city of Exeter in Tulare County, where he was a member of that Police Department’s K-9 unit.
A Tribune investigation revealed that Neo had been Geiger’s K-9 partner in Exeter, where it was trained and served as a “working police dog,” according to records provided by the Exeter Police Department. Records also showed that Neo had previously bit a trainer before being taken out of service and purchased by Geiger as a pet.
TEXAS -- Two people were attacked by a dog Thursday morning, one of those people ended up being taken to the hospital.
The attack just happened just after 7:30 a.m. in the 5700 block of Del Starr Drive in Corpus Christi.
One woman in her 40's and a male child were bitten by the dog, according to Officer Christina Brown with Animal Control. The child, 10 or 11 years of age, had a bite wound to the leg and was the one taken to the hospital.
Brown said the injuries were not severe and the child was taken to the hospital more as a precaution.
Brown said it doesn't seem as if the dog is always aggressive.
"He actually, once the owner came out, he was really nice and once I got him back here, he was actually really nice. He seems to be more territorial aggressive," Brown said.
The dog was taken by Animal Control for a 10 day rabies quarantine.
Note: Although the article doesn't say the breed, based on the really narrow face, I'm tagging as a Belgian Malinois.
GEORGIA -- A Houston County sheriff’s deputy was forced to shoot and kill the K-9 he handled after the dog attacked him, the sheriff says.
Sgt. Slate Simons was attacked by the dog Tuesday afternoon while helping the Dooly County Sheriff’s Office on a manhunt, Houston County Sheriff Cullen Talton said.
“He turned on Slate,” Talton said. “He grabbed onto the calf of his leg and tore his leg up pretty bad. Bit him all the way down to the bone, and the only way he could get him loose was he had to shoot the dog.”
Simons was taken to the Medical Center, Navicent Health, and was released Tuesday night. He was recuperating at home Wednesday.
Simons said he and the dog, named Kyro, were in a super-thick wooded area when he thinks Kyro mistook him for the suspect. Simons said he had the 4-1/2-year-old Belgian Malinois on a 15-foot lead.
“He was just doing his job,” Slate said. “It was just mistaken identity. It was just unfortunate circumstances.”
Simons and Kyro had been partners for about three years, and the dog stayed with Simons at his home. The dog had not had any behavioral problems and was great with children, Simons said.
The partners often visited elementary schools, and Kyro had won obedience competitions, Simons said.
“He was just a phenomenal dog,” Simons said.
The dog’s body is expected to be examined for signs of illness, including rabies. However, the dog was up to date on all of its shots, including rabies, Talton said.
“That’s hurting him worse than anything else right now,” Talton said of Simons having to shoot the dog.
Kyro is expected to be cremated after the examination and his remains returned to Simons.
GEORGIA -- Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace is appealing a Superior Court judge’s decision to throw out two of the three felony charges in the case against a former Cherokee County school police officer accused of leaving his K-9 in a hot car to die.
Last month, Superior Court Judge Jackson Harris granted a motion to throw out two aggravated cruelty to animals charges in the state’s case against Daniel Peabody, a longtime school police officer who was arrested last June after leaving his police dog in the back of his car for three hours after returning home from work.
But the judge allowed Peabody’s third charge of making false statements to a police officer to stand, court documents show.
“His attorney filed a motion to quash our indictment, arguing Peabody was entitled by law to appear before the grand jury,” Wallace said. “We disagreed with his position, (but) the court granted the defendant’s motion as to the first two counts of the indictment.”
Now, Wallace and her team of prosecutors are looking to appeal the judge’s decision.
Georgia law gives police officers accused of committing crimes during the performance of their duties the right to testify before a grand jury before members decide whether to hand down an indictment.
“The defendant is arguing that he was entitled to be in the grand jury proceeding because the alleged crime occurred while he was a police officer in the performance of his duties,” Wallace said. “Our position is he’s not entitled to be present because he was not in the performance of his duties.”
She said her office requested an application for immediate review of the trial court’s ruling and received notice this week that the Georgia Court of Appeals granted that request.
“We filed our notice of appeal and once the case is docketed in the court of appeals, we will have 20 days to file our brief,” she said.
Though Harris’ order granted Peabody’s motion to quash the two aggravated cruelty to animals counts on the indictment, the judge opted to allow the third charge of making a false statement to a law enforcement officer to stand.
A Cherokee County Marshal’s Office investigation into the death of Inka, Peabody’s 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, raised questions about the fate of another school K-9 the Canton man looked after.
Dale, a yellow lab, worked with Peabody and the Cherokee County School Police from 2007 until May 2012 when the dog went to live with Peabody at his former Paulding County home following its retirement, investigators said.
Peabody told them that Dale died accidentally, but the investigation yielded evidence that Peabody shot and killed the dog, Chief Marshal Ron Hunton said last summer.
“At first he claimed that Dale died after choking on a toy at his Paulding County home back in 2012, but that was not the case,” Hunton said. “What happened was that sometime in 2012, shortly after the dog had been retired from the school police, he shot and killed the dog.”
Subsequent efforts to unearth Dale’s remains were unsuccessful, but investigators did discover the body of a third dog buried in the yard of Peabody’s former Paulding home.
Peabody’s wife, Tyler Verlander was found to be running an illegal kennel at the residence
A forensic veterinarian found that the remains belonged to a Belgian Malinois that was at least 10 years old and likely killed by a gunshot to the head, Hunton said.
“What we believe is this dog is the grandmother of Inka,” Hunton said at the time.
Temperatures outside on the day of Inka’s death reached upwards of 90 degrees and the car she was in was not equipped to transport police dogs, investigators said.
Subsequent tests conducted on the vehicle showed that after about two hours and 45 minutes, the temperature inside Inka’s crate would have been 130 degrees.
MAINE -- The company that provided a police dog to a Fairfield officer says that officer is to blame for the dog biting his daughter.
According to the Portland Press Herald, the International Canine Exchange said Officer Jordan Brooks was instructed not to bring the untrained dog into his home.
The dog reportedly took the 7-month old out of her crib last month, causing injuries that sent her to the hospital. She’s now back home.
The incident prompted the police chief to put the department’s K-9 program on hold.
Bite by police dog prompts Fairfield to suspend new program The dog that bit Officer Jordan Brooks' infant daughter will likely be returned to the vendor.
Town officials have decided that Fairfield’s new police dog program will be put on hold, in response to an incident in which a police dog bit an officer’s infant daughter.
The 22-month-old male Belgian Malinois, named Rex, bit Officer Jordan Brooks’ infant daughter around 10 p.m. on Feb. 24 in Winslow, where Brooks lives. The dog has since been held at the Humane Society Waterville Area, and probably will be returned to the vendor: the Rhode Island-based International Canine Exchange.
Fairfield Police Chief Tom Gould said Thursday that the baby is at home and has recovered from her injuries.
Brooks, the dog’s handler, was at home at the time of the incident and took his daughter to the hospital. She was transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, which has a neonatal facility. The infant suffered puncture wounds and bruised ribs, police said.
The town bought the dog in January for $7,500. It also spent about $1,000 to alter a police car to accommodate the dog, and Gould said the car will remain that way.
Winslow police, who responded to the report of the bite, said the dog had not gone through proper training.
The dog was scheduled to attend the Maine Criminal Justice Academy K9 Patrol School for several weeks with Brooks starting March 14. Gould said the outcome was disappointing but his department will move forward.
“I think the general consensus was we need to move forward with the program, but we need to re-evaluate it and make sure it’s the right step for us,” he said.
Gould said Rex was “exactly what we asked for” from the company, but the dog will likely be returned because it can take as long as a year to get a dog into the training program. He said that doesn’t mean the department will abandon the canine program, especially since Rex would have been used to help find drugs.
“We still think the program is a solid tool for fighting the drug epidemic we have in our area,” Gould said.
CALIFORNIA -- A former Grover Beach police officer pleaded not guilty Monday to two felony charges that he failed to properly house his former police dog when it got loose in December and mauled two neighbors, killing one of them.
Alex Geiger, 25, made his second court appearance after entering no plea in an arraignment last month.
If convicted of both charges, Geiger could face up to four years in state prison.
District Attorney Dan Dow said in supporting the charges that Geiger had “custody and control of a dangerous animal,” that “he knew that the animal was dangerous” and that he “failed to use ordinary care in keeping the animal.”
Geiger’s two dogs, a Belgian Malinois and a German shepherd, got loose from the former officer’s yard Dec. 13 and attacked 85-year-old Betty Long and 64-year-old David Fear. Long suffered serious injuries, and Fear later died from his injuries.
The Belgian Malinois was found to be the primary aggressor in the attack and was euthanized the same day.
The German shepherd has so far been spared and is now being held under specific conditions by a private owner outside the county.
Geiger previously said in a prepared statement that his “sympathies and prayers” were with Fear’s family and that he prayed for a “speedy recovery” for Long.
He resigned Feb. 1 from the Grover Beach Police Department, after serving the city for just three months.
