Tulsa County sheriff ’s deputy enters plea to stealing dog

A Tulsa County sheriff’s deputy received a deferred sentence Tuesday after entering a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge related to the reported theft of a dog from a residential backyard in September.

Justin Kaczynski originally was charged with a felony count of larceny of a dog and was subsequently placed on unpaid administrative leave. Court minutes indicate he entered a plea of guilty to a misdemeanor larceny charge and received a deferred sentence, and he is also set to pay about $600 in fines and costs.

Prosecutors alleged Kaczynski “stealthily” grabbed a German shepherd dog from the backyard of a home north of the Tulsa city limits on Sept. 24 and took it from the residence without the owner’s permission. A probable cause affidavit states the dog’s owner reported paying $400 for the animal, which was 4 months old at the time.

Kaczynski, according to the document, told investigators he received an anonymous complaint that the dog was emaciated, which prompted him to go to the residence. He said he noticed the dog’s ribs and shoulder blades were visible, and that he left a notice on the owner’s door about the dog’s poor health after trying unsuccessfully to contact him.

The lead investigator then reported that Kaczynski said he transported the dog to his home so it could receive proper care. He had not been dispatched on a call to the owner’s house and did not notify a dispatcher he visited the residence, nor did he relay to a supervisor what actions he took.

Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Casey Roebuck said Tuesday that the resolution of the case was not such that it merited Kaczynski’s automatic termination, and that he remains on unpaid leave while an internal affairs investigation into the incident is pending.

Kaczynski was hired as a detention officer in 2006 and promoted to a deputy in 2012. His arrest was the sixth involving a Tulsa County law enforcement employee since June and the eighth in 2017.