New Mexico
Member of Santa Fe’s K-9 unit is the focus of an internal affairs investigation
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — As a puppy, there were high hopes for Ayke to help revive the Santa Fe Police Department’s K-9 program. Now, four years later, the German shepherd is in the doghouse.
He has bitten more people than any other dog in the department’s K-9 unit and is the subject of an internal affairs investigation into an attack in March on one of the department’s own officers. The city also is defending against a lawsuit filed by an officer who underwent plastic surgery after being attacked during a 2022 training exercise, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
Police Chief Paul Joye declined a request by the newspaper for an interview, and the investigation is ongoing into the latest incident involving Ayke, who is one of four dogs used by the department.
Like other law enforcement agencies across the nation, the Santa Fe police force contends that K-9 units can be helpful when trying to detect illicit drugs or explosive materials or apprehend suspects.
Several states earlier this year were considering legislative proposals that would impose tougher penalties for harming or killing police dogs, with supporters noting that thousands of dollars are spent on training and that in many cases the animals are like family to their handlers.
Still, injuries caused by the animals have made headlines in Ohio, Utah and elsewhere in recent years.
The Marshall Project noted in 2020 that while there was no national database for tracking the use of K-9s, an investigation found that bites were documented in nearly every state. The nonprofit group also noted that excessive force lawsuits over dog bites are difficult to win, as police officers are often shielded from liability and federal civil rights laws don’t typically cover bystanders who are bitten by mistake.
In Santa Fe, Ayke is still on the job. Deputy Police Chief Ben Valdez wrote in an email that the department is confident the dog doesn’t represent a danger to the public.
In response to a question about the potential drawbacks of using the dogs, Valdez responded: “Police K-9s are a valuable asset for our community, when properly utilized there are no cons.”
The police department purchased each of the animals for about $4,400 and paid $2,200 for their initial certification course, Valdez said. The department spends about $4,800 annually on dog food and another $2,000 on veterinarian care.
The department requires K-9 units to complete at least 320 hours of training per year and for handlers to undergo physical and psychological well-being testing. The police dogs are certified by the Arizona-based National Police Canine Association.
Every bite by a police dog must be documented, according to Santa Fe’s policy. Those instances are reviewed to determine if policy was followed and if any corrective action for the handler is needed, Valdez said.
Virginia
Mistrial declared for man charged with intimidation at rally of white nationalists
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A Virginia judge declared a mistrial after jurors deadlocked on charges against a man accused of using a flaming torch to intimidate counterprotesters during a 2017 gathering of white nationalists in Charlottesville.
The trial for Jacob Joseph Dix of Clarksville, Ohio, was the first test of a state law that makes it a felony to burn something to intimidate and cause fear of injury or death.
After deliberating for about 12 hours over two days, jurors in Albemarle County Circuit Court announced Thursday that they were deadlocked. Judge H. Thomas Padrick declared a mistrial Thursday evening.
Indictments unsealed last year showed 11 people had been charged with intimidation by fire, but prosecutors have not said whether additional defendants were also charged. Five people have pleaded guilty to the charge. Dix was the first to go on trial.
Legislators passed the 2002 law after the state Supreme Court ruled that a cross-burning statute used to prosecute Ku Klux Klan members was unconstitutional.
On Tuesday, prosecutors showed the jury videos of 300 to 400 white nationalists marching through the campus of the University of Virginia, carrying torches, shouting Nazi slogans and surrounding a much smaller group of anti-racist counterprotesters, an event that ended in chaos and fighting between the two groups.
Dix’s lawyer, Peter Frazier, told the jury nothing Dix did the night of Aug. 11, 2017, was criminal, and that the chants he joined in, including, “You will not replace us!” were free speech protected by the First Amendment.
Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, who was appointed as a special prosecutor, said she intends to try the case again and will see if there is any other evidence to pursue.
“We appreciated the enormous amount of time that the jury took to consider this case of first impression,” she said.
After the clash at the university, violence broke out the next day when a “Unite the Right” rally was planned. After police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly and the crowd began to disperse, James Alex Fields Jr., a white supremacist from Maumee, Ohio, intentionally rammed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one and injuring dozens. Fields is serving a life sentence for murder and hate crimes.
Iowa
The only surviving victim of a metal pipe attack at home has died, authorities say
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — The only survivor of a metal pipe attack in Iowa has died, prompting authorities to charge the suspect with a fourth count of first-degree murder.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Department alleges 34-year-old Luke Truesdell, of Marion, attacked four people with a metal pipe last week at a rural Iowa home near Cedar Rapids. Three people died at the home. The fourth person, 34-year-old Brent Anthony Brown, died two days later, Sheriff Brian Gardner said in a Sunday statement.
Truesdell’s public defender didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Monday.
Authorities were still investigating what led to the attack, but Gardner has said that among the possible motives was that the crime might be made into a movie. He did not elaborate.
Gardner identified the others who were killed as 44-year-old Romondus Lamar Cooper of Cedar Rapids, 26-year-old Keonna Victoria Ryan of Cedar Rapids, and 33-year-old Amanda Sue Parker of Vinton.
Member of Santa Fe’s K-9 unit is the focus of an internal affairs investigation
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — As a puppy, there were high hopes for Ayke to help revive the Santa Fe Police Department’s K-9 program. Now, four years later, the German shepherd is in the doghouse.
He has bitten more people than any other dog in the department’s K-9 unit and is the subject of an internal affairs investigation into an attack in March on one of the department’s own officers. The city also is defending against a lawsuit filed by an officer who underwent plastic surgery after being attacked during a 2022 training exercise, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
Police Chief Paul Joye declined a request by the newspaper for an interview, and the investigation is ongoing into the latest incident involving Ayke, who is one of four dogs used by the department.
Like other law enforcement agencies across the nation, the Santa Fe police force contends that K-9 units can be helpful when trying to detect illicit drugs or explosive materials or apprehend suspects.
Several states earlier this year were considering legislative proposals that would impose tougher penalties for harming or killing police dogs, with supporters noting that thousands of dollars are spent on training and that in many cases the animals are like family to their handlers.
Still, injuries caused by the animals have made headlines in Ohio, Utah and elsewhere in recent years.
The Marshall Project noted in 2020 that while there was no national database for tracking the use of K-9s, an investigation found that bites were documented in nearly every state. The nonprofit group also noted that excessive force lawsuits over dog bites are difficult to win, as police officers are often shielded from liability and federal civil rights laws don’t typically cover bystanders who are bitten by mistake.
In Santa Fe, Ayke is still on the job. Deputy Police Chief Ben Valdez wrote in an email that the department is confident the dog doesn’t represent a danger to the public.
In response to a question about the potential drawbacks of using the dogs, Valdez responded: “Police K-9s are a valuable asset for our community, when properly utilized there are no cons.”
The police department purchased each of the animals for about $4,400 and paid $2,200 for their initial certification course, Valdez said. The department spends about $4,800 annually on dog food and another $2,000 on veterinarian care.
The department requires K-9 units to complete at least 320 hours of training per year and for handlers to undergo physical and psychological well-being testing. The police dogs are certified by the Arizona-based National Police Canine Association.
Every bite by a police dog must be documented, according to Santa Fe’s policy. Those instances are reviewed to determine if policy was followed and if any corrective action for the handler is needed, Valdez said.
Virginia
Mistrial declared for man charged with intimidation at rally of white nationalists
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A Virginia judge declared a mistrial after jurors deadlocked on charges against a man accused of using a flaming torch to intimidate counterprotesters during a 2017 gathering of white nationalists in Charlottesville.
The trial for Jacob Joseph Dix of Clarksville, Ohio, was the first test of a state law that makes it a felony to burn something to intimidate and cause fear of injury or death.
After deliberating for about 12 hours over two days, jurors in Albemarle County Circuit Court announced Thursday that they were deadlocked. Judge H. Thomas Padrick declared a mistrial Thursday evening.
Indictments unsealed last year showed 11 people had been charged with intimidation by fire, but prosecutors have not said whether additional defendants were also charged. Five people have pleaded guilty to the charge. Dix was the first to go on trial.
Legislators passed the 2002 law after the state Supreme Court ruled that a cross-burning statute used to prosecute Ku Klux Klan members was unconstitutional.
On Tuesday, prosecutors showed the jury videos of 300 to 400 white nationalists marching through the campus of the University of Virginia, carrying torches, shouting Nazi slogans and surrounding a much smaller group of anti-racist counterprotesters, an event that ended in chaos and fighting between the two groups.
Dix’s lawyer, Peter Frazier, told the jury nothing Dix did the night of Aug. 11, 2017, was criminal, and that the chants he joined in, including, “You will not replace us!” were free speech protected by the First Amendment.
Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, who was appointed as a special prosecutor, said she intends to try the case again and will see if there is any other evidence to pursue.
“We appreciated the enormous amount of time that the jury took to consider this case of first impression,” she said.
After the clash at the university, violence broke out the next day when a “Unite the Right” rally was planned. After police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly and the crowd began to disperse, James Alex Fields Jr., a white supremacist from Maumee, Ohio, intentionally rammed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one and injuring dozens. Fields is serving a life sentence for murder and hate crimes.
Iowa
The only surviving victim of a metal pipe attack at home has died, authorities say
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — The only survivor of a metal pipe attack in Iowa has died, prompting authorities to charge the suspect with a fourth count of first-degree murder.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Department alleges 34-year-old Luke Truesdell, of Marion, attacked four people with a metal pipe last week at a rural Iowa home near Cedar Rapids. Three people died at the home. The fourth person, 34-year-old Brent Anthony Brown, died two days later, Sheriff Brian Gardner said in a Sunday statement.
Truesdell’s public defender didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Monday.
Authorities were still investigating what led to the attack, but Gardner has said that among the possible motives was that the crime might be made into a movie. He did not elaborate.
Gardner identified the others who were killed as 44-year-old Romondus Lamar Cooper of Cedar Rapids, 26-year-old Keonna Victoria Ryan of Cedar Rapids, and 33-year-old Amanda Sue Parker of Vinton.
