Federal officer gets probation for killing dog
One of the “police puppycide” stories that Paula and I blogged about back in August has finally come to a close.
A federal officer has been given probation before judgment for shooting a Siberian Husky named Bear-Bear at a Severn dog park.
Keith Shepherd was convicted of misdemeanor animal cruelty and discharging his personal handgun near homes in the Quail Run community.
The judge gave him one year of unsupervised probation, 80 hours of community service and a $500 fine for the animal cruelty charge. Shepherd’s record will be expunged if he meets the terms of his probation.
— Joy Lepola, “Officer Gets Probation for Dog Park Shooting” (Nov. 19th, 2010), WBFF FOX45
Meanwhile, it’s possible to be jailed simply for yelling at a police dog, because, as one judge put it, “A police dog is a police officer. There is no difference under the law. They are not pets and they are trained in the purposes of law enforcement and anyone who would taunt a police officer can be considered a threat to the community.”
Think that’s fair?
