Puppy love spells trouble during drug sweep
A Pompano Beach man’s professed love of dogs got him in trouble with a Broward Sheriff’s K9 officer.
Samuel Louis, 23, was stopped outside a convenience store in the 1000 block of Northwest 27th Avenue in Pompano Beach about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Broward Sheriff’s deputies were conducting a drug sweep and Louis was one of several people stopped as part of the investigation, an agency arrest report stated.
When a K9 named Asia was deployed to sniff out narcotics, Louis distracted the dog by putting his face near her body, Deputy Michael Okun wrote in his report. Okun ordered Louis to stop interferring with his K9 partner but Louis kept putting his face near the dog, Okun reported.
Ultimately, Louis wasn’t accused of having drugs, but instead was charged with interfering with a police animal.
During his arrest, Louis apologized for trying to kiss the dog but explained his actions by saying he “loves puppies,” the report stated.
At Louis’s first appearance in court Wednesday, Assistant Public Defender Dale Miller argued there was no probable cause to charge Louis.
“You have to ask the dog whether or not it’s harrassment,” he quipped.
Broward Judge John Hurley seemed to agree.
“Apparently, the only one who didn’t like it was the officer,” Hurley said. “The dog, from what I understand, was compliant.”
The judge released Louis on his own recognizance with a stern warning.
“Don’t kiss any more police dogs, sir,” he said.