Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Man charged with killing police dog could get life under 'three strikes' law
The Oregonian ^ | October 25, 2007 | HOLLEY GILBERT

Posted on 10/25/2007 8:03:45 AM PDT by Bean Counter

VANCOUVER -- A transient arrested Tuesday for shooting and killing a Vancouver police dog could go to prison for life under the state's three-strikes law if convicted.

Ronald James Chenette, 38, appeared Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court, accused of harming a police dog and unlawful possession of a firearm in the shooting of Dakota, a 5-year-old German shepherd.

The mood at the Vancouver Police Department's canine unit Wednesday was subdued, but the agency gratefully acknowledged the public outpouring of support. Officer Roger Evans, Dakota's handler, spent the day at home.

"It's been very tough," said Kim Kapp, a police spokeswoman. "There is a close bond between a canine and his handler."

Although harming a police dog is a low-level felony that carries a jail term of as long as a year, use of a firearm in the crime elevates it to what could be Chenette's third strike, Deputy Prosecutor James E. David said.

Chenette has an extensive criminal history dating to 1986, including two previous strike convictions: one for second-degree murder in 1991 and one for second-degree assault in 2000. If he is convicted of killing Dakota with a gun, Chenette could be sent to prison without the possibility of parole.

Judge Roger A. Bennett ordered him held without bail. Chenette will be arraigned Friday in Superior Court.

Chenette also is being held on multiple district court accusations and warrants, including stalking, trespass, harassment and malicious mischief.

Dakota was shot in the head and killed when he was searching for a man who had gone into a wooded area of Brush Prairie, which is south of Battle Ground. About 1:45 p.m., someone called 9-1-1 to report a man with a gun walking along the nearby Lewis and Clark Railroad tracks, and the man was seen fleeing as deputies arrived, Clark County Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Bieber said.

The caller said the man was armed with a .357 magnum handgun and had stated he wanted to "kill a cop," Bieber said.

The Southwest Washington Regional Special Weapons and Tactics Team was called out along with canine units from the Vancouver Police Department and county sheriff's office. Dakota was searching the wooded area when officers heard a shot about 5:10 p.m.

When the dog did not return to Evans, police sent a second dog to search. Akbar, whose handler is Deputy Ed Bylsma, found Chenette at 5:27 p.m. and bit him, as he is trained to do. Chenette resisted but was taken into custody after being shot with a Taser.

Dakota's body was found a short time later.

When David outlined the incident in court, Chenette remarked, "I should have shot the second dog."

As sad as the death of a dog is, Bieber said, they are used in dangerous situations to avoid the death of an officer.

"Dakota probably saved someone's life last night, either the officer's or the suspect's," he said. "These dogs are a tool used for this very reason."

Dakota was born in Slovakia in July 2002 and commissioned in Vancouver three years later. He became a SWAT dog in July 2006 and was responsible for 150 narcotics finds and more than 100 suspect captures.

He was dubbed Dakota after the department sought suggestions from local elementary students and a committee selected the name sent in by a fifth-grade class at Marshall Elementary.

The department's canine unit has three other dogs: Farley, Swift and Kenai.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: chenette; doggieping; evil; pure; ronaldchenette; threestrikes
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-40 next last
Pure, unaldulterated evil.

When this reprobate appeared in court yesterday, he told the judge: "I should have shot the other dog".

As he was escorted out of court, he was hailing Charles Manson.

The questions about this guy are legion.

How did he get a .357? After getting out of prison after 158 months where was his supervision??

At the same time people are relieved that he didn't kill someone before he was finally apprehended, and grateful that the Police were not forced to shoot this a$$hole no matter how richly he deserved it.

1 posted on 10/25/2007 8:03:47 AM PDT by Bean Counter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Bean Counter
...second-degree murder in 1991 and one for second-degree assault in 2000.

Exactly the kind of person three strikes was written for.

2 posted on 10/25/2007 8:07:44 AM PDT by LibWhacker (Democrats are phony Americans)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bean Counter
How did he get a .357? After getting out of prison after 158 months where was his supervision??

I'd imagine he stole it or traded another vagrant crack for it.

3 posted on 10/25/2007 8:10:05 AM PDT by lesser_satan (READ MY LIPS: NO NEW RINOS | FRED THOMPSON '08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bean Counter
"It's been very tough," said Kim Kapp, a police spokeswoman. "There is a close bond between a canine and his handler."

On a side note: Treating dogs like people elevates the dog and lowers the status of people. Losing a police dog is no reason to get all weepy in your beer. Buck up and get back to work. A new dog needs to be trained.

That said, I got no problem with the 3 strikes law. This idiot is being punished for killing the dog and all the other nasty crimes he did.

4 posted on 10/25/2007 8:11:32 AM PDT by gridlock (ELIMINATE PERVERSE INCENTIVES)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bean Counter
Convicted of murder in 1991, out to commit more crimes by 2000???

The criminal justice system needs to start being held accountable for people they pour back into the general public -

too bad the police DIDn’t shoot this menace to society and be done with it...no parole from that

5 posted on 10/25/2007 8:12:46 AM PDT by maine-iac7 ("...but you can't fool all of the people all of the time" LINCOLN)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bean Counter

This guy should get a noose around his neck, oops can’t say that anymore.


6 posted on 10/25/2007 8:14:53 AM PDT by Plains Drifter (If guns kill people, wouldn't there be a lot of dead people at gun shows?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bean Counter

Why give him “life”? Won’t that cost taxpayers over $1 million? A “shanking” only costs a carton of cigarettes.


7 posted on 10/25/2007 8:17:48 AM PDT by montag813
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bean Counter
A. Shooting any German Shepherd unless in self-defense should be a capital crime.

B. How about stringing up the parole board who turned this animal loose?
8 posted on 10/25/2007 8:22:22 AM PDT by GeneralisimoFranciscoFranco (I love liberals. They taste like chicken.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bean Counter

Be still by bleeding heart. Come on! This guy is textbook for why voters approved three-strikes in the first place!


9 posted on 10/25/2007 8:26:03 AM PDT by newzjunkey (Pope to politicians: "(Do) not to allow children to be considered as a form of illness.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Plains Drifter

Hope you didn’t type that comment while at work!
You will probably get fired.


10 posted on 10/25/2007 8:29:12 AM PDT by a real Sheila (stop hillary NOW!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Bean Counter
Although harming a police dog is a low-level felony that carries a jail term of as long as a year, use of a firearm in the crime elevates it

Pure idiocy. The dog doesn't prefer one instrument of harm or death over another, and the dog's future ability to contibrute to society is not influenced by what instrument was used to inflict a given degree of harm on it.

11 posted on 10/25/2007 8:34:00 AM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bean Counter
After observing, on our local Fox News, the antics(flipping the bird to the camera, shooting imaginary gun, numerous smirks and sticking out of tongue) of this lost soul, it is my expert opinion that he is whackadoodle and needs to be hung by the neck until dead. May the Lord have mercy upon his soul.
12 posted on 10/25/2007 8:35:10 AM PDT by crazyhorse691 (The faithful will keep their heads down, their powder dry and hammer at the enemies flanks.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GeneralisimoFranciscoFranco

Amen to you,well said.


13 posted on 10/25/2007 8:54:32 AM PDT by Plains Drifter (If guns kill people, wouldn't there be a lot of dead people at gun shows?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Bean Counter

This sack of scum should get life. And he should be put in a cage with several of Dakota’s buddies.


14 posted on 10/25/2007 9:04:47 AM PDT by freekitty ((May the eagles long fly our beautiful and free American sky.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libertina; luckymom; Paperdoll; gandalftb; acoulterfan; KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle; NurdlyPeon; ...
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Say WA? Evergreen State ping

FReepmail sionnsar if you want on or off this ping list.

Ping sionnsar if you see a Washington state related thread.

15 posted on 10/25/2007 9:05:51 AM PDT by sionnsar (trad-anglican.faithweb.com |Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GovernmentShrinker

True, the firearm doesn’t make a difference to the dead dog, but, it is more threatening to the general population (stray bullets, missed shots, all that). If he choked the dog to death it wouldn’t have been potentially life threatening to anyone else in the area.


16 posted on 10/25/2007 9:20:52 AM PDT by Marie2 (I used to be disgusted. . .now I try to be amused.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: gridlock
On a side note: Treating dogs like people elevates the dog and lowers the status of people. Losing a police dog is no reason to get all weepy in your beer. Buck up and get back to work. A new dog needs to be trained.

I take it you don't have a dog.

17 posted on 10/25/2007 9:24:58 AM PDT by shekkian
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Marie2

i have a problem with these officer dogs,i would like to hear just one say the oath.


18 posted on 10/25/2007 9:29:14 AM PDT by old gringo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: gridlock; AnAmericanMother; Titan Magroyne; Badeye; apackof2; Joe 6-pack; sinkspur; Shannon; ...
On a side note: Treating dogs like people elevates the dog and lowers the status of people.

Given some of the people and many of the dogs I've met, that seems fair to me ;~)

Doggie Ping... followup on the earlier story.

Ping!


Other articles with keyword "DOGGIEPING" since 12/29/04

19 posted on 10/25/2007 9:29:47 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Marie2

His stated aim was to kill a person. People can be choked to death just as surely as dogs can. The criminal is the threat to the general population.


20 posted on 10/25/2007 9:32:39 AM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-40 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson