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.
I have a beautiful dog. I have had dogs all my life. I just don’t confuse dogs with people, that’s all.
If S-CHIP ever passes, that might be a wash...
You are right. Nontheless, shoot my dog and I will stomp a hole in your chest with my size 13s.
Having dogs and forming bonds with them are two different things (no matter how beautiful).
By your callous remark towards the officer's grief, I'd venture to guess you've missed out on some really great times with your "possesions".
Life? Sounds good to me.
I’d say somebody feels threatened by dogs....(chuckle)
That's the dangerous component of this incident.
“...the man was seen fleeing as deputies arrived, Clark County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Bieber said.”
Sgt. Bieber should have stuned him.
I do have a dog. A red lab. And I agree that this is just a dog. Police dogs are mere property(as are all dogs) and the man should only be charged with destroying police property...like say a squad car. If he shot the windows out of a squad car, that’s the level of seriousness this crime is, imo.
Given the seriousness of his previous crimes, shooting out the windows of a squad car under these circumstances would probably be sufficient to land him in the pen for life under the three strikes rules.
I got no problem with that.
Me neither. But don’t make this about a dog, for crying out loud.
I was just watching a show about a doctor from the old communist Czechoslovakia who was a pure incompetent and was responsible for a loss of life in anesthesia but was told not to practice high level medicine anymore.
He delivered babies in a home-like clinic. 6-9 babies died due to his use of a labor-inducing agent (he did not use a fetal monitor.)
He is in jail for 53 years to life for several counts of 2nd degree murder.
While he should be in jail, you could make the argument that he is less morally culpable (did not MEAN to harm) than this guy.
And yet the doc is still in jail (or dead) and this scumbag is out.
Reminds me of a case of a guy who shot a cop in Seattle. He was killed, thankfully, but he was out after serving only 8 years or so on murder charges.
Maybe we need to focus more on murderers, rapists and armed robbers and less on druggies—UNLESS, they step up into that category.
“Given some of the people and many of the dogs I’ve met, that seems fair to me ;~)”
I agree.
Fry. Him. Now.
Second it. =^..^=
You don't seriously think that anti-gun laws prevent criminals from getting guns do you? (shaking head in disbelief that someone would be so naive)
I take it you don't have a dog.
What difference does it make if someone has a dog or not. Dogs are ANIMALS (ie property) not little furry people any more than pigs, goats, cats, chickens, cattle and other domestic animals. They are incapable of reason. Animals should NEVER be given the status of people.
I think putting him behind bars for life is a good idea, although it's too bad the taxpayers will have to pay for it. Are you really a bean counter? I am, too. Getting closer to retirement every day, though!
Carolyn
I worded my post poorly. My apologies. It should have stated; “If someone shoots my dog...” I didn’t mean to suggest that you would shoot my dog.
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