A hearing into the firing of a state trooper accused of mistreating his police dog opened this morning 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 kick the dog, Ricoh, five times, Dan Kane reports.
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 or three feet under the dock.
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.
The case became public during a string of stories about troopers accused of misconduct.
More after the jump.
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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 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.
The patrol dismissed Jones in September, and the firing was upheld by Crime Control and Public Safety Secretary Bryan Beatty.
The hearing today is being conducted by Administrative Law Judge Fred Morrison. Jones is expected to testify.
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