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

Skip to comments.

Family Shocked, Outraged after Deputy Shoots Pet Dog in their Yard
KIDK.com ^ | 21 November 2007 | Nate Eaton

Posted on 11/21/2007 12:36:37 PM PST by Lurker

A Teton County, Idaho family is outraged after they say a sheriff's deputy tried to murder their dog in their own front yard.

The Barboza family has owned their dog Bobby for five years. A few days ago they say a Teton County Idaho Sheriff's Deputy knocked on their door demanding to see the dog.

Leonel Barboza, Dog Owner: "He says, 'I'm here to put him down. I'm here to kill him.'"

The officer told Leo Barboza there had been a complaint Bobby had bitten someone.

Barboza: "I said, 'Do you have any proof or anything?' He says, 'I don't need any proof.'"

So Leo got the dog while the deputy pulled out a rifle from his car. They walked a few feet from the Barboza's home where Leo's wife and his three year old son were inside.

Leo and the officer tied the dog to a pole when the deputy fired three shots. The dog then collapsed. Leo's son heard the gunshots and opened the front door. Meanwhile...

Barboza: "A bunch of kids just got off the bus and they were all on the street. All the kids were watching the officer shooting the dog. My heart was broken seeing an officer killing my dog."

The deputy then got in his vehicle and drove away leaving the dog bleeding profusely from his head almost dead.

Barboza: "I came back inside with my wife and hid. We were hugging each other crying about our dog because we were gonna miss him. He's been with us for five years."

That night Leo's father-in-law, who witnessed the whole thing, had a nervous breakdown and had to be hospitalized. When the family returned home from the hospital a few days later, they were shocked to see their dog alive.

Barboza: "My wife called me up and she's like, 'Hey, the dog's alive!' I was like, 'What are you serious?' I was happy my dog was alive."

The Teton County Idaho Sheriff wouldn't say much about this case except that it's still under investigation. He also said there's been numerous complaints about the Barboza's dog. But when I checked court records, I could only find one complaint filed last year and that was dismissed.

Nate Eaton, Channel 3 Eyewitness News: "Did your dog ever bite anybody?"

Barboza: "Not to my knowledge. No."

Eaton: "And this was the first time you'd ever heard of any complaint?"

Barboza: "Yes, this is the first time. I still think about it. You know my kid thinks all the cops are bad because an officer came and shot his dog. Honestly when I think about it I get mad too and I don't trust that officer any more."

The Barboza's took Bobby to the vet. He's now on medication to get the wounds taken care of. The holes in his head will be sewn up after Thanksgiving.

The family has hired attorney Josh Garner. I spoke with him this evening and he says, "If the facts are as they appear, the deputies behavior is disgusting, troublesome, and appalling. The officer needs to be held responsible."

Several sources say the officer is still on duty and still working in the county.

If you have a comment on this story, email us yourturn@kidk.com or natee@kidk.com.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; US: Idaho
KEYWORDS: donutwatch; leo; pets; tetoncounty
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-123 next last
To: 1rudeboy
The only advice I can give to someone in this situation is to let it happen and lawyer-up. The canine gets the shaft, I know, but you will be able to buy dozens more with the settlement.

The owner already followed your advice. I hope the "deputy" is immediately dismissed and prosecuted to the maximum extent permitted. The lawyer has been hired and the whole community is watching this asshole. If the sheriff fails to act, he may be looking for a new job too.

41 posted on 11/21/2007 12:59:18 PM PST by Myrddin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: CindyDawg

good point.

There is no way I would let anyone, cop or not, shoot my dog. Crazy.


42 posted on 11/21/2007 12:59:59 PM PST by Retired Greyhound
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Hildy

you got a point there. I’ve got a hunch the lot of the folks in this town aren’t very smart or well educated or sophisticated or well-mannered.


43 posted on 11/21/2007 1:01:42 PM PST by hoe_cake
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: 1rudeboy

If it were my wonderful fantastic dog of earlier days, no way. Maybe a so-so dog, but not the great dog.

It’s not as if every dog is the same (”buy dozens more”). They’re very different. Boy, do I know.


44 posted on 11/21/2007 1:01:59 PM PST by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Doomonyou

And even if it was suspected the dog had rabies- shooting him in the head meant they could not reliably test for rabies. The head has to be sent to the lab.


45 posted on 11/21/2007 1:02:06 PM PST by Tammy8 (Please Support and pray for our Troops, as they serve us every day.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: brytlea
The local TV reporters checked for complaints lodged against the dog. They found only one and it had been dismissed. The deputy had no legal authority to do what he did. His going to pay for his arrogant behavior.
46 posted on 11/21/2007 1:02:58 PM PST by Myrddin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: Myrddin

So this is true then? The deputy really did this?


47 posted on 11/21/2007 1:03:30 PM PST by CindyDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: Hildy

You’re right about that.

My main real grammar cringe:

“there’s been numerous complaints” - not a quote, but a narrative.

Never mind the continuity is not very good. I was confused very much in the middle. I stuck it out and read through!


48 posted on 11/21/2007 1:04:24 PM PST by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: Myrddin

I doubt if Bobby is too fond of him either.


49 posted on 11/21/2007 1:04:26 PM PST by CindyDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: Lurker

Wasn’t there a case like this with a slightly different fact set in PA just last week and the cops are always right gang telling us that such events were really really rare?


50 posted on 11/21/2007 1:04:29 PM PST by JLS
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: the OlLine Rebel

I agree. But the alternative (dog lives, owner dies or goes to prison) isn’t much of an alternative.


51 posted on 11/21/2007 1:04:44 PM PST by 1rudeboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: CindyDawg

With wounds like that, it’s usually essential to let them stay open and drain. Closing them up too early is just asking for nasty abscesses. I suspect these are just deep flesh wounds, and that the dog was cared for by a neighbor who had experience treating injuries to farm animals.


52 posted on 11/21/2007 1:05:37 PM PST by GovernmentShrinker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: 1rudeboy

Somebody has to start fighting for what is right and good, and not just back down anymore.

As the cops teach us - “don’t fight back, it’s ONLY a wallet!”

And more of us get robbed - and more of us get killed just because it’s that easy, and fun. The “common criminals” despise us wimps.


53 posted on 11/21/2007 1:06:55 PM PST by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: GovernmentShrinker

I know. It just hit me funny. After 3 days he’s alive and gonna get sewed up after Thanksgiving.


54 posted on 11/21/2007 1:08:21 PM PST by CindyDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: Myrddin

Maybe Michael Vick escaped from jail dressed as a deputy...

On a serious note, this is why the SCOTUS ruling on the DC 2d Amendment case is so important.


55 posted on 11/21/2007 1:08:42 PM PST by redlegplanner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: Myrddin

I certainly agree if this story is accurate he is outrageously wrong. On the other hand, all of the info in the story came from one side, so it behooves us to wait for more info.
susie


56 posted on 11/21/2007 1:09:34 PM PST by brytlea (amnesty--an act of clemency by an authority by which pardon is granted esp. to a group of individual)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: GovernmentShrinker

The cop wasn’t much of a shot was he?


57 posted on 11/21/2007 1:09:44 PM PST by CindyDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: Lurker
This story makes me so mad that I am having trouble constructing a sentence without profanity. We need a nationwide policy against this kind of stuff.

Honestly, what is wrong with these people? If I were ordered to go to someone's house and shoot their dog, I would go straight to the newspapers.
58 posted on 11/21/2007 1:10:11 PM PST by mysterio
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Myrddin
I hope the "deputy" is immediately dismissed and prosecuted to the maximum extent permitted

Short list of charges:

Unlawful Use of a Weapon.

Felony Criminal Animal Cruelty.

Discharging a Firearm within City Limits.

Disorderly Conduct.

Conspiracy to Commit (if he discussed this with anyone beforehand)

And the big one: Deprivation of Civil Rights under False Color of Authority.

Then there are the multiple Civil suits against the officer and the municipality.

L

59 posted on 11/21/2007 1:11:21 PM PST by Lurker ( Comparing moderate islam to extremist islam is like comparing smallpox to ebola.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: faloi; domenad; brytlea

This sounds like a rural area where the guy with the gun and badge is the law, and few people understand the sort of law that the rest of us take for granted.

This particular guy with a gun and badge is in deep legal trouble, because with wide publicity, the incident has certainly come to attention of those segments of Idaho society where more advanced concepts of law prevail. He is also amazingly incompetent with a gun. Three rifle shots to a tied-up dog, with intent to kill, and the dog lives to tell the tale ??? If the guy has a family, I sure hope they don’t expect HIM to protect them from home invaders!


60 posted on 11/21/2007 1:11:52 PM PST by GovernmentShrinker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-123 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