He walked.
Jurors on Friday cleared former Miami-Dade police Sgt. Allen Cockfield of animal cruelty in the June 2006 death of his former partner, a rookie police dog named Duke.
When the verdict was read about 4 p.m. inside the packed courtroom, police supporters gasped loudly. Some wept.
Cockfield smiled broadly and embraced relatives. When he walked from the courtroom, fellow officers in the hall erupted into applause.
“He should have never ever been charged,” said defense attorney Douglas Hartman. “They put this guy through four years of hell.”
Cockfield, a longtime officer who was fired after his 2007 arrest, expects to get his job back, Hartman said. Cockfield declined to talk to reporters afterward.
Friday’s verdict was not wholly unexpected.
Cockfield, 55, was originally charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and a felony count of a killing a police dog, which could have cost him his law enforcement certificate.
But Thursday, prosecutors conceded that they had not proved Cockfield intended to kill Duke when he kicked him during an ill-fated training session.
At Hartman’s request, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Antonio Arzola tossed out the felony charge, but allowed the lesser count to stand.
Miami-Dade prosecutor Isis Perez said in closing arguments that Cockfield viciously and fatally kicked the Belgian Malinois during an “obedience control” session at the department’s training bureau.
Next time Odin gets outta line, I think I’ll kick him in the guts.
[would somebody here please notify my next of kin?]
Guilty as heck; free as a bird. (to paraphrase another liberal who was rather pleased at not being convicted of his crimes.