Video played of trooper kicking dog
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com
April 28, 2008 Author: Dan Kane
RALEIGH - A hearing into the firing of a state trooper accused of mistreating his police dog opened today with a video of the officer kicking the dog as it was suspended from the railing of a loading dock.
The 15-second video, taken by another trooper using his cell phone, shows Sgt. Charles L. Jones kicking the dog, Ricoh, five times. The dog was tied to the railing by its leash at the time, with its front paws in the air and its rear paws touching the ground. With each kick, the dog swung about two feet under the dock.
To view the video click here.
Altogether, Trooper Raymond Herndon testified, Jones kicked the dog up to eight times. The dog, a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois, was not seriously injured.
Herndon said Jones was trying to get Ricoh to release a piece of fire hose that he was using as a toy. First, Jones swung the dog in a circle in a technique known as "helicoptering." The dog was swung in such force that it became airborne.
Herndon testified that he did not object to the helicoptering but did become concerned when Jones took Ricoh by the leash and suspended him from the railing.
"He had his back to me, and he began kicking the dog," Herndon said. He said he did not think Jones was trying intentionally to hurt the dog, and he praised Jones' skills as a dog trainer.
A second video shows the dog, still hanging from the railing, wagging its tail and watching Jones, who picked up the toy.
The dog appeared to remain loyal to Jones, Herndon said. "I think [Ricoh] wanted to go with [Jones]," he said.
Jones claims the episode on Aug. 8 was not mistreatment. He contends that he was fired summarily without due process and has appealed to get his job back. In a deposition earlier this month, a senior officer with the patrol said that Gov. Mike Easley's office pressured the agency to fire Jones.
Jones originally faced a three-day suspension, based on the first video. But patrol Captain Ken Castelloe, who was Internal Affairs director at the time, said he recommended firing Jones after reviewing the second video. He said it showed that Jones' actions were more egregious because he left the dog hanging after it had released the toy.
Castelloe and Crime Control and Public Safety Secretary Bryan Beatty testified that Easley and his staff took an immediate interest in the case. Castelloe was ordered to show the video to several Easley staffers and Beatty testified that at least twice the governor's staff told him that Easley wanted Jones dismissed from the patrol.
The patrol dismissed Jones in September, and Beatty upheld the firing. He and Castelloe said their actions were not influenced by Easley.
Jones also contends that there were no clear training procedures within the patrol for police canines. He also said that Easley, Beatty and patrol officials were over-reacting to other pressures at the time, such as the dog abuse case that sent Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick to prison, and other cases of trooper misconduct within the patrol.
The hearing is being conducted by Administrative Law Judge Fred Morrison. Jones is expected to testify, along with several Easley staff members.