Posted on 08/22/2009 4:26:09 PM PDT by apillar
ATHENS Ohio (WSAZ) -- Barking up the wrong tree -- that's what some say one man did when he threatened a local police dog. But, it's what happened after the comment that's got some people biting and others scratching their heads.
“In response to the dismissal, it’s a doggone shame,” said Robert Toy, an Athens defense attorney.
Toy is amusing himself with a case he says has gone to the dogs.
“It’s a silly charge,” he said.
“We take this charge very seriously,” Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly said.
The incident started at a construction site across the street from the sheriff's department in downtown Athens. That's where Mark Isaac and another construction worker made comments about Esko, the Athens County Sheriff's drug dog.
“The one construction worker said to my client, ‘That dog is coming to get you.’ My client, who was about 150 feet away on the second floor, made a comment back,” Toy said.
“He said, ‘I’m going to kill that dog’ and the deputy overheard him,” Kelly said.
“The deputy walked across the street and arrested my client, charged him with a felony and put him in jail,” Toy said.
“Esko is an officer of the law and you can’t threaten any kind of officer whether they be a person or a dog. My deputy felt a real threat was being made against his dog, who is a police dog, and so he consulted with the prosecutor and they agreed charges need to be filed against him,” Kelly said.
Isaac, who is 37, was charged with aggravated menacing -- a felony punishable by a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. He's free on a $5,000 bond. Kelly said the case was dismissed in municipal court, but could go to the grand jury. Toy said if that happened, an interpreter might be needed.
“Under the constitution, I would have the right to interview the witness, in this case, Esko the dog. I’ve submitted a motion for an interpreter, my dog, Elbee the Doggie. I know when he wants to go for a walk because he brings me his leash. When he wants to play ball, he comes to me with his ball in his mouth,” Toy said.
“I don’t appreciate the attorney using humor in what is a very serious matter,” said Sheriff Kelly.
The sheriff said he's hoping Isaac receives some kind of charge. Late Friday afternoon, he found out why Isaac may have been angry at the dog. According to Athens City Police, one of their dogs happened to be searching his hotel room the night before and found an ounce of marijuana.
Kelly said he thinks Issac mistook Esko, the sheriff's dog for the city police dog and directed his anger toward him. We'll keep you posted on what happens.
They also are used in bomb-sniffing, drug-sniffing, finding lost humans...
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I don’t care what they’re used for ... actually I like your tone ,, they are OWNED and they are USED ....
What I and others are objecting to is the deification of officer Doggie to a rank equal to humans in the Police forces and ABOVE CITIZENS where he has special rights and protections. No anger issues here KJC1 , just legit grievances.
I want the badges and titles of honor AND special protections removed from WHAT IS PROPERTY.. I bet an ACLU type could get hundreds of thousands , perhaps millions of arrests thrown out across the country by proving that the thousands of “officer Doggies” across the country don’t meet published requirements for serving on the various police forces ,,, I guarantee that not one of them meets the minimum age requirements (usually 18 or 21) ,, none of then has a SS number ,, none of them filled out an application in their own hand, not one of them can speak English (or Spanish) , they DO NOT have reliable transportation to work, they cannot follow written instructions.
Well, then, you must be pleased that the owned, used, property of the officer who let his dog die in the hot vehicle has not resulted in charges.
All animals are property. All are subject to mankind, to be eaten, worked, used in whatever way they can, and no animal life equals the life of a human.
Some animals bond with humans, and are subjected in special ways to human needs. Some are highly trained for specific human uses. To honor those animals, in ways meaningful to the humans involved (whether or not the animal cares) serves to remind the humans of the animal’s value.
The threat to kill the dog is the same (to me) as the threat to destroy any police property, with the added problem that the property is sentient. To ignore the threat is to ally oneself with the likes of Michael Vicks.
Nobody I know “deifies” dogs. I own two, and they serve as part of my home’s security, out here in the boonies. They earn their living, keeping predators away and deer out of my fruit trees and garden, and prowlers off the property day and night. I also have the usual country weapons; but I would find the weapons far easier to replace than the dogs, who know the property limits, who can discern strangers, who would give their lives for me because of their bond.
Again, no dog equals a human, in my opinion. But if some humans want to say that they do, because of the dog’s specialized training, intelligence, abilities, and usefulness, I will not argue with them.
Is a police dog worth more than, say, a tweeker? Is a guide dog worth more than a gang member?
Police dogs are not pets, and are not treated like pets.
That is a trait of ALL dogs, not just Police/military dogs. I love dogs. Some dogs are better companionship than a person and a lot more loyal.
And YES, just about ANYONE or ANYTHING can become a police officer these days.
Nobody I know “deifies” dogs.
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The police do , officer doggie has more rights than you do. if you’re OK being subject to , and treated as less human than a dog so be it.. if officer doggie sniffs your crotch at the airport and you smack his nose let me know how it turns out for you.
Okay, I have a great idea: you keep your opinions, and I’ll keep mine. How does that sound?
I like expressing my opinions on an internet forum.
As did we both. However, I doubt either of us has had our opinions changed by the other.
Fine by me.
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