Owner of Dog Shot by Officer Found Guilty

Owner of Dog Shot by Officer Found Guilty

By Sam Thrift Thursday, September 29, 2011

The owner of the dog that an on-duty Williamsburg police officer wounded Sept. 8 after attempting to avoid the charging animal, was found guilty of having a dog at large Wednesday.

The officer was on his way back to his vehicle in a hotel parking lot in the 1800 block of Richmond Road in Williamsburg, when he was charged around 12:30 a.m. by an unleashed brown and black pit bull.

According to a press release from the Williamsburg Police Department, the officer tried to avoid the animal, but when the animal was less than an arm’s length away the officer drew his firearm and fired once, wounding the animal.

Although owner Robert Asbury was found guilty in Williamsburg/James City County General District Court, he was not fined and court costs were waived by the presiding judge.

Comments

-4 #4 SamT 2011-09-30 18:01

Why no interview with the dog owner?
The only source of information on what actually happened is the police.
This is unprofessional for a journalist.

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-5 #3 Worried 2011-09-30 14:18

The officer could have, and should have choosen a non lethal way to deal with the dog. I have heard no evidence that supports the officers claim that the dog was going to attack. The owner who knows the dog the best, said that he was wagging his tail as he approched. Plus the owner was in the parking lot of thier residence when the dog was loose, he was not roaming around with no owner in sight. It boggles my mind that the officer was not bright enough to out wit a dog and use a non lethal way to deal with the dog. I think that the dogs owner is at fault for not having his dog on a lease, and should face a penalty for it. But what is troubling to me, is that people don't realize that a person with a gun who can't determine when it is appropriate to discharge the weapon, is much more dangerous than any pitbull no manner how vicious. How many people are killed by pit bulls or any other dog, compared to people who die from irresponsible people with guns. This officer showed a complete inability to correctly access the situation, and should not be allowed to carry a gun in public!!!! Shotting a gun down at a dog in a parking lot is very dangerous, and could have resulted in an injury to an inocent bystander or the officer himself.

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+6 #2 Pet owner 2011-09-30 10:09

I agree with commenter #1. As a pet owner, we love and value our pets as a part of our family. To allow the animal to run free with no supervision is a blatant disregard for the safety of the pet and for individuals in the area. What if this particular charging dog had been approaching a person with no ability to defend themselves. If the dogs intention was to attack, this very well could have been a horrible attack on the person or even the persons death.......Thi s is a case of owner responsibility and a lack there of. Sanctions should have been delivered.

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+31 #1 3huskies4us 2011-09-29 17:49

As a rescue volunteer, I'll be among the first in line to stand up for the prevention of cruelty to animals, but animal rights MUST be taken in partnership with responsible pet ownership. Regrettably, as a society, we are woefully inadequate at promoting and enforcing responsible pet ownership.
I have to stand with the officer on this one, and I would like to know if there was a good reason for the judge NOT to fine Mr. Asbury in this case. The law won't encourage other would-be irresponsible pet owners to become more responsible unless it is enforced. A law with no teeth is no law at all.
I'm dismayed at the apparent missed opportunity to send a loud and clear message to other dog owners who think it's OK to let their dogs run free, unleashed and unsupervised. Mr. Asbury, this may sound harsh, but it's ultimately your responsibility to maintain control of your dog, and it's your fault your dog got hurt. I hope you'll join me in teaching others not to repeat your mistake.

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