Tweet
BALTIMORE —A Baltimore City police officer is charged with felony animal cruelty for cutting the throat of a dog, police officials announced Wednesday afternoon.
Police were called Saturday morning to Grundy Street in southeast Baltimore for a report of a stray dog that had nipped someone trying to rescue it.
The dog actually was just loose. It was a 7-year-old shar-pei named Nala whose owner had posted pictures of it on a community Facebook page.
"She was just the sweetest dog and would never hurt anyone. She was just scared that day and through all of those events -- scared and lost, thirsty, hungry -- yes I'm very sure that she bit someone, but the actions after that were not OK," the dog's owner, Sarah Gossard, told 11 News.
Police secured the dog using a dog pole but then an officer assigned to the emergency services division, later identified as Officer Jeffrey Bolger, went much further.
"Unfortunately, at some point after the dog was contained, one of our officers used a knife and cut the dog's throat. This is outrageous and unacceptable breach of our protocol," Baltimore police Deputy Commissioner Dean Palmere said.
"We have no words to describe this. To say that we are appalled at this allegation is an understatement," said Baltimore police Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez.
Commanders said they know of no reason for the officer to use such force on a dog that was under control. The dog later died.
Bolger is suspended without pay.
"I don't want him to have his job, I don't want him to be able to go out on calls and react like that to a person, to a dog, to anything. That's not OK, that's not OK," Gossard said.
They are also investigating if other officers who knew of the incident followed procedure to report it. Commanders said they "caught wind of it Monday," fully two days later.
Police were called Saturday morning to Grundy Street in southeast Baltimore for a report of a stray dog that had nipped someone trying to rescue it.
The dog actually was just loose. It was a 7-year-old shar-pei named Nala whose owner had posted pictures of it on a community Facebook page.
"She was just the sweetest dog and would never hurt anyone. She was just scared that day and through all of those events -- scared and lost, thirsty, hungry -- yes I'm very sure that she bit someone, but the actions after that were not OK," the dog's owner, Sarah Gossard, told 11 News.
Police secured the dog using a dog pole but then an officer assigned to the emergency services division, later identified as Officer Jeffrey Bolger, went much further.
"Unfortunately, at some point after the dog was contained, one of our officers used a knife and cut the dog's throat. This is outrageous and unacceptable breach of our protocol," Baltimore police Deputy Commissioner Dean Palmere said.
"We have no words to describe this. To say that we are appalled at this allegation is an understatement," said Baltimore police Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez.
Commanders said they know of no reason for the officer to use such force on a dog that was under control. The dog later died.
Bolger is suspended without pay.
"I don't want him to have his job, I don't want him to be able to go out on calls and react like that to a person, to a dog, to anything. That's not OK, that's not OK," Gossard said.
They are also investigating if other officers who knew of the incident followed procedure to report it. Commanders said they "caught wind of it Monday," fully two days later.
Comment