Video played of trooper kicking dog.

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http://www.newsobserver.com/news/cri...y/1052884.html

RALEIGH - A hearing into the firing of a state trooper accused of mistreating his police dog opened today 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 kicking the dog, Ricoh, five times. 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 feet under the dock.

To view the video click here.

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.

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 on Aug. 8 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.

Jones originally faced a three-day suspension, based on the first video. But patrol Captain Ken Castelloe, who was Internal Affairs director at the time, said he recommended firing Jones after reviewing the second video. He said it showed that Jones' actions were more egregious because he left the dog hanging after it had released the toy.

Castelloe and Crime Control and Public Safety Secretary Bryan Beatty testified that Easley and his staff took an immediate interest in the case. Castelloe was ordered to show the video to several Easley staffers and Beatty testified that at least twice the governor's staff told him that Easley wanted Jones dismissed from the patrol.

The patrol dismissed Jones in September, and Beatty upheld the firing. He and Castelloe said their actions were not influenced by Easley.

Jones also contends that there were no clear training procedures within the patrol for police canines. He also said that Easley, Beatty and patrol officials were over-reacting to other pressures at the time, such as the dog abuse case that sent Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick to prison, and other cases of trooper misconduct within the patrol.

The hearing is being conducted by Administrative Law Judge Fred Morrison. Jones is expected to testify, along with several Easley staff members.
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[Just KC]

I just can't watch the video.......

[dogbite1]

I have been working and training dogs for several years. There is no justification in doing what he did to get that dog to out. The method that he used is unheard of or taught anywhere that I can think of other than by people who abuse animals. Also this is a 7 yo dog, which in my guess has been on the street for several years and this has been a problem for this dog. Not outing is nothing unusual for Malinois due to its drive on the bite, but can be overcome with the right training and stimulation.

If I would have been there, the dog would not have gone though what it did, however I probably would have tied up the handler and kicked him to see if he liked it. I also would have reported it to the Admin and IA. It appears that the state is doing the right thing with this and proceeding with his termination. I do not feel sorry for the SGT at all. He is in my opinion getting off easy. But again this is just my 2 cents.

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If I would have been there, the dog would not have gone though what it did, however I probably would have tied up the handler and kicked him to see if he liked it. I also would have reported it to the Admin and IA. It appears that the state is doing the right thing with this and proceeding with his termination. I do not feel sorry for the SGT at all. He is in my opinion getting off easy. But again this is just my 2 cents.

I agree. I wish a lot more bad things on him than I care to mention here, especially since ammo ain't cheap nowadays :P

I think there is a special place in hell for people who abuse helpless animals and people....a very special place.

[Shoestring]

when I saw video

[Wolven]

I won't even go watch the video...would probably make me violent. If I was there he would have had a crazy can of female deputy whoop-ass to deal with....and he would have been hard pressed to get rid of me. I do NOT deal well with hurting animals or children.

This video is all over the rescue boards...and they have been calling and writing letters like crazy.

What sucks is that despite the treatment, that dog would probably willingly give his life for that piece of shit. Damn dog loyalty.