Posted on 06/21/2013 7:03:06 PM PDT by Altariel
When Rebecka Brown returned home June 5, she noticed a business card stuck in her door.
That card was from Det. Joey Cooper, a deputy with the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office.
“Naturally I called the number immediately to find out why an officer had been here,” she wrote on a Facebook page.
Det. Cooper told her he was there to serve a warrant to her husband for failure to appear in court in relation to a ticket he had received while hunting. She also found out something horrifying.
“He then told me he had to tase my dog.”
When she asked why, Brown says Det. Cooper told her that Merlin, the family’s year-old lab/boxer mix, had attacked him. “I asked him if he was okay… I was in complete shock! He said he was fine, not so much as a scratch on him.”
[Note: Merlin was attached to a 10' lead in the backyard, not roaming freely.]
“He instructed me that the taser did not shock Merlin because only one prong made a connection with him,” she said adding that Det. Cooper told her how to remove the prong. When the call ended, she went to check on her wounded pup. “Merlin wouldn’t let me near him. I could see the prong protruding from his back but but he just cowered and whined,” she said.
After several attempts to coax Merlin over so she could remove the prong, she noticed something strange about his eye. “There was a little blood under the lid of his right eye and the eyeball itself resembled an old rubber party balloon.” After she and a friend removed the prong she noticed his eyeball was ripped open.
Brown said she immediately called Det. Cooper back but got his voicemail. She then called the Sheriff’s Office to report her dog’s injuries. An hour later, she says two deputies showed up to investigate. 
“They asked to see Merlin, so I took them inside to him,” she said. “As soon as he saw them, he cowered to the side, wimpered, and started to visibly shake. The deputy took a step towards him and Merlin started to growl. He was responding to the uniform… I informed the deputy that this is not his normal behavior and that he is responding out of fear. A uniform, just like theirs, had seriously injured him…. he was afraid of another round with that uniform!”
She believes the eye injury was caused by either a flashlight or a nightstick.
Brown’s quest for accountability continued.
I tried to file a formal complaint with the Sheriff’s Department and I was shuffled away. I went to the magistrate to press charges for animal cruelty and I was told that I couldn’t because he is a law enforcement officer!!! So, I went to the district attorneys office to lodge a complaint and get an investigation underway. I was directed to the SBI (State Bureau of Investigation).”
She has also taken to the internet for justice starting a website, a Facebook page and a petition. On the Justice for Merlin Facebook page, Brown has been updating those interested in her “roadblocks” with law enforcement and the justice system, as well as Merlin’s recovery.
After multiple calls to District Attorney Scott Thomas, an internal investigation was finally started. On Wednesday, Brown says she was visited by Sheriff Asa Buck and an internal affairs officer.
Following the meeting she posted:
Both the sheriff and internal affairs feel that the investigation revealed that the deputy is without fault. He stated that he was afraid when he and Merlin met in my back yard and that the Deputy is thankful that he grabbed the taser rather than his firearm. I was further informed that the deputy had every legal right to be on the property and had a right to defend himself. They do not believe that the deputy entered my back yard with the intent of harming Merlin and that Merlin’s injuries are an unfortunate situation. After Merlin is done with all of his vet visits, I am to inform the department and they will see about getting the bills paid.
…
I honestly don’t know how I feel about all this. I’m angry that my dog was hurt. I’m very angry that my dog will never regain full sight in that eye. I’m hurt that my children are affected by this to the point that they tell me they are afraid of cops. I’m angry that the use of tasers on animals is endorsed by our county. The county considers this matter closed.
…
I’ve never known the sheriff to be anything but honorable. I am so confused and hurt.
Begin rant:
Justified? Afraid of a dog that was tied up?
There is not justification for harming an animal if you just get spooked. The deputy, according to Brown, admitted that he didn’t have a scratch on him. So how can this assault be justified?
If it had not been a law enforcement officer, the individual responsible for the injuries to Merlin would be brought up on animal cruelty charges. But because of the incestuous investigation, the perp gets to walk.
The Department shouldn’t have to compensate for the vet bills…the individual who committed the act should be the responsible party. Badges don’t grant extra rights and individuals are responsible for their own actions.
End rant.
Carteret County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Asa Buck
304 Craven Street
Beaufort, NC 28516
(252) 504-4800
She’s very good about only chewing her own toys [mostly] and is not allowed near my poor fragile snakes...:)
Much like her distant-cousin Odin, she is very sensible for a pup.
Negligence invites crime.
Maybe tomorrow on her one-week-anniversary here.
“Sal” is sleepy and patiently waiting for the other dogs to finish eating so she can toss them out for one more potty party.
:)
He already surrendered one of his bedroom slippers to her.
[that dog owns him, already]
;]
Wrong musical.
;D
Actually now that you have said I have a liberal view I will say I think your view is the liberal one. Liberals always think their way is the only way no matter the circumstances and always want to butt into other people’s business without knowing the situation. Liberals also want to tell everyone how to do things without thinking others have personal responsibility.
The way I see it is dog owners have a personal responsibility to take care of their dog- if they do so I don’t care how they do it. I have seen happy healthy dogs that were chained or kenneled part of the time and I have seen dogs that were neglected, abused right inside people’s houses. So it is ridiculous to me for you to say tying the dog is the problem...it depends on how it is done if it is a problem or not. So a dog is always safe inside a house when people are gone? How about a house fire, flood, or other issue? No dog or person is perfectly safe no matter where they are. Life just isn’t like that.
Then go to bed, for God’s sake.
You’ll feel better if you rest.
No problem...gotta go chain Ranger up outside for the night since I learned here on FR that’s the responsible way to keep him...
LOL!!!!! I'm sorta kinda loving this... :)
R U not worried that he might get shot by the bad, bad police? LOL! Only kidding.
Make sure there’s no -swivels- on that chain, now.
Gonna do it, do it right.
Er..wrong.
Uh..whatever.
;D
[now I’m giggling to myself like a looney, just thinking of taking Odin out and trying to tie him in the yard for the night...he whines like a sissy if he can’t see where I’ve gone in the kitchen]
Can’t, until the meds reach full effect, I just lay in bed and wait ... waiting and lurking here is better than that.
She’s made him her bi...uh...you know.
LOL
Turn on PBS.
Your brain will shut off in self defense.
“In some communities, HOAs (and local ordinances) do not permit homeowners to put up fences.”
I was thinking the same thing, Altariel. Nowhere did I read that the backyard was fenced. Another thing, why did the cop go to the backyard instead of the front of the house?
LOL! Good point. However, won’t be long and 2 bed I will go ... temporally pain free.
That’s about all anyone can ask for, these days.
Nobody answered the door so he thought he’d have himself a bit of a leisurely snoop-about?
Never know what you’ll find where you’re not supposed to be looking.
No we don't live in a perfect world, and we have to apply our God given logic and experience to the judgments we make. I don't care for mandatory seat belt laws, but I wear my seat belt. Your reliance on absurd extreme examples is like the person who says, "what if my car goes into a lake or off a bridge and I can't get my seatbelt undone?" If that's your real worry, then fine, don't wear it, and I'd much prefer the law wouldn't punish you for doing so. It's moronic because statistically, living in the "Realville" of conservatism, where experience, logic and knowledge hold sway, it's always smarter to wear a seatbelt, regardless of how many absurd hypotheticals you can come up with. Similarly the odds of a dog being saved from a house fire or flood by virtue of being chained outside are much much smaller than the dog being provoked, harassed, attacked or hanging himself.
Look, if your dogs are so ill-disciplined that you can't trust them in your house when you're away, go for it. Chain them up outside and leave them there. Just don't expect me to believe you're a responsible dog owner, or that you're doing what is in your dog's best interests.
When we first moved here I was looking around on the online local newspaper and found out that there’s (not remembering all of this)....herds of antelope here?
Honest.
I loved it.
I DON’T love it that the place has grown so much in the year we’ve been here.
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