Posted on 01/07/2012 1:22:52 PM PST by Elle Bee
A dog that reportedly bit a policeman during a domestic battery investigation last year was shot dead Wednesday night by a detective during a drug raid at the same house, according to Key West police reports.
Buddie, a 5-year-old pit bull terrier mix, was shot in the head by Detective Michael Chaustit, who reportedly fired one bullet from his .45-caliber service handgun while the dog's mouth was clamped down on his left hand -- requiring three stitches at Lower Keys Medical Center. A veterinarian euthanized the dog at the scene about an hour laterreports say.
During a 9 p.m. raid at 1015 South St., Chaustit and federal agents went to a room where they reportedly heard a dog barking and a man's voice. When Chaustit opened the door -- the tenant alleges they kicked it down -- the dog charged at him, reports say. Chaustit reportedly took several steps back and made room for the dog to escape, but the dog "did not use the open path of escape" and jumped and bit his hand instead.
Fearing further bodily harm, Chaustit said he placed his Glock handgun against the dog's head and fired one round, causing the dog to drop to the floor.
The raid turned up no arrests and only a small amount of marijuana -- 1.2 grams, or about a joint's worth -- as well as two pipes, a grinder, a scale and some baggies containing marijuana residue, reports say.
Tenant and dog owner Aaron Paul Strickland, 28, was given a notice to appear in court for possession of drug paraphernalia, and his roommate, David Tuten, 22, was cited for possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The raid was conducted by members of the city's Special Operations Unit, federal Drug Enforcement Agency and federal Homeland Security Investigations. The city's unit regularly works alongside federal agents in drug investigations, city/police spokeswoman Alyson Crean said.
The same dog bit Officer Curtiss Richardson in the forearm in August while officers were investigating a possible domestic disturbance at the same house, reports say. Richardson attempted to use his Taser on the dog when it jumped and bit him, causing the Taser prongs to miss the dog and hit Richardson's own leg, reports say.
Strickland was arrested in that incident and charged with two felony counts of battery on a police officer and obstructing an officer. He is currently on probation, he said.
The incidents in August and on Wednesday have left Strickland frustrated, he said. He claims he does not do drugs and that police lacked probable cause to raid his house, much less kill his dog.
Strickland lives with five other roommates and was not home when the raid occurred Wednesday. When he arrived and police informed him why they were there, he said he was comfortable that there were no drugs in the house, though he added he couldn't fully account for his roommates' possessions.
Strickland claims none of the marijuana or paraphernalia were found in his room or in his possession.
"They said they found weed in our trash," Strickland said, adding it couldn't have been much, because he lives in the house and would be aware of drug activity.
Instead, Strickland said he feels he's become a victim of police harassment. He added that police knew his dog was in the house, from their first incident in August and by their own admission when they heard the dog barking Wednesday night.
"A judge found enough probable cause to issue a search warrant," Crean countered. "Our detectives took their suspicions to a judge and she [county Judge Peary Fowler] found sufficient reason to issue the warrant."
Both Strickland and Tuten are scheduled to appear before Fowler on Jan. 19.
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I'm not advocating the use of drugs but these jack-boots are out of control
Sounds like the dog had made a cop look stupid and his pals came back with the hit squad and took the dog out point blank with a .45
Let’s see, the police can go through your garbage without a warrant because it’s in the public domain and no longer your possession.
Then they can use the “evidence” they claim to find therein the public domain to get a warrant to raid your house when they find a judge who believes that people throw pot out in their trash?
Then dress up in their SWAT costumes and they get their buds from the DEA and Homeland Security to kick down your door and shoot your dog – then let it bleed out for an hour
Thise raids have happened at least half a dozen times down here in the past few months but they never find much of anything.
There’s a yahoo State Attorney named Dennis Ward down here who is a nightmare.
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” was shot dead Wednesday night “
” A veterinarian euthanized the dog at the scene about an hour later “
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
well, which was it?
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It’s Okay For a Cop (the New Key West Police Chief) To Have sex With a Minor (17 yr old boy) in a patrol car and at his home
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This Attorney after having been convicted for three nickels with mandatory jail time is given community service to work on land development deals for the city and county .... precisely what he was convicted of feloniously doing for his clients
Convicted on FBI Tapes @ Nudist Bar, Key West Bag Man Gets Only Probation From Retiring Judge
You can't make this stuff up
Key West PD
In June 1984, the Key West Police Department in Monroe County, Florida was declared a criminal enterprise under the Federal RICO statutes after a lengthy United States Department of Justice investigation. Several high-ranking officers of the department, including Deputy Police Chief Raymond Cassamayor, were arrested on federal charges of running a protection racket for illegal cocaine smugglers. At trial, a witness testified he routinely delivered bags of cocaine to the Deputy Chief's office at City Hall.
Click on Headline:
Key West Police Department Called a 'Criminal Enterprise' - New York Times
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That is enough for me to throw down the BS flag right there.
No doper throws away weed. That is like throwing away money.
Even if the weed is not to your liking you can always sell it.
This warrant smells to high heaven.
He might be right about the raiding his house part, but if a pit bull is clamped on your arm then polite requests are out of the question.
The frickin' beast didn't die after taking a .45 round to the head!
Another dead pit bull.... another happy ending!
Jeeze. The dogs are smarter than the cops. Worksferme.
Dog died in the line of duty.
I’m glad to see Homeland Security has enough spare time on its hands to participate in a penny-ante drug raid. I guess the threat of any nuclear weapons being smuggled into the country has been eliminated.
I can’t blame the cop for shooting the dog when the dog was in the act of biting him,But the cop should have put the dog down not wait for a vet.
Now the reasons for the cops being there can be argued. but not the shooting IMO. If the dog was biting me I would have shot it too.
I’ll bet the pit bull’s scar is bigger than that one.
And doesn’t heal as fast either.
Exactly.
Furthermore anyone who owns a pit bull has already shown contempt for civil society.
Considering it was shot in the head at point blank range and then euthanized, I'd have to agree with you.
Uh... dopers throw away stems and seeds and corner baggies all the time. You can’t smoke the stems and seeds. It is very, very common to find paraphernalia and seeds and stem in doper’s trash.
So no, the warrant is quite plausible.
"Here is what we found in the house.
And in the paper they said they only fired one shot?? Then what's this??
They said he was dead but yet when I got home I could hear him crying for help and for me!!!
I have 2 bullet holes in my house!! How many does my dog have...
He was not shot in the head like they want everyone to belive..
I saw him carried out.. he was shot in the chest...
These f**kers just want to cover it all up, and they want to put me in jail now!!!
I need all letters and support sent to judge fowler and the news and media.. also post it all on my wall.
I am making a book and telling it all how it went down by true honest ppl that were here...
The city review board is Monday in the old city hall from six to eight..
please show up and be there for me and my baby boy...
Any questions call or hit me up or git up the fb, tell everyone!!"
link
Any shooting of a pit bull is a good thing.
Buddie at play1...
Buddie at play2...
?
Buddie at work...
Buddie chillin' with Dad...
Buddie sharing the bed...
R.I.P. Buddie...
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