Officer cleared after dog’s killing
Faulkner County sheriff: Canine had lawman against wall
The Faulker County sheriff’s investigator who shot and killed a dog in Greenbrier on Nov. 9 while trying to locate a sex offender’s residence did not violate any laws or policies, according to a statement issued by Faulkner County Sheriff Tim Ryals on Monday evening.
Ryals identified the official who shot the dog as Investigator James Freeman.
At his request, Ryals said, investigators from the sheriff’s office have worked to determine whether Freeman violated state law or departmental policy.
“After a thorough investigation, we have concluded that no policies or laws were violated,” Ryals’ statement said. “We, in law enforcement, answer calls every day that require split-second, life and death decisions. We strive to be right 100 percent of the time. Our Department is saddened by this unfortunate incident and sincerely apologize for any distress it may have caused.”
According to Ryals’ statement, the incident occurred at 76 Autumn Hills Road. Freeman was seeking a registered sex offender at the address to do a compliance check, but multiple mobile homes at the site were not distinguishable by letter or number, Ryals said.
When Freeman approached a mobile home, a girl told him the sex offender lived next door, Ryals said. Freeman approached the mobile home, where a dog approached him from under the residence and began growling and barking at him.
Although the dog reportedly went back under the mobile home when its owner called from behind the residence, the dog approached Freeman again, more aggressively, Ryals said. With Freeman’s back against the mobile home, he had no way to escape, Ryals said.
“He again told the dog to get back and the dog lunged at him. As a result, Investigator Freeman deployed his weapon on the animal,” Ryals said.
Last week, a sheriff ’s office spokesman, Deputy Erinn Stone, said authorities went to 72 Autumn Hills Road and were told by a person at the address that the sex offender possibly lived next door. The investigator went next door to 76 Autumn Hills Road, where the shooting occurred, Stone said last week.
Video from the incident posted on Facebook by Chris Coiner, who lives at 76 Autumn Hills Road, shows a white-andblack dog with a collar lying motionless on the ground. An official with a badge can be seen standing by a pickup. The man identifies himself as “Investigator Freeman.”
Coiner, furious at Freeman for shooting his dog, asks him for the address of the person the investigator is seeking. When Freeman says, “72-A,” Coiner curses at him repeatedly and tells him to get off his property.
According to Ryals’ statement, the sheriff learned of the use-of-force incident on Nov. 10. Witnesses told investigators that “the dog had a history of acting aggressively towards humans,” the sheriff reported.
According to a partial response from the sheriff ’s office to a public-records request, Freeman’s supervisor said no complaints have been made against him since he started working for Faulkner County.
Freeman was hired in October 2013 and his salary is $39,200, according to the response from the sheriff’s office.