Days later the charges were dropped, but Guero, the family’s 14 year old chihuahua was dead.
On July 13, Josie Garcia’s husband was pulled over by Houston PD for failure to use a turn signal.
The routine traffic stop lead to a search and prescription drugs belonging to the passenger were found. Both men were subsequently arrested and the SUV was impounded. Charges against her husband were dropped days later.
Unfortunately, Garcia’s 14 year old chihuahua, Guero, was along for the ride.
As the men were being taken into custody and the SUV towed, Guero was removed from the vehicle and left on the side of Highway 59.
Garcia’s husband plead with the officer to let him call someone to come get the dog or for the officer to call animal control, who’s shelter was only 2 blocks away.
The officer refused, claiming the dog would be fine.
For the next 3 days Garcia put up missing posters and searched for her beloved pet. Eventually, she received a call to let her know where he was.
Guero had been found, dead, on the side of the highway not far from where the men were pulled over. The elderly chihuahua was nearly blind from cataracts and had been hit by oncoming traffic.
Garcia has already filed a complaint with internal affairs, and on Tuesday, she spoke before city council.
Seemingly horrified by her story, the council is asking for policy regarding pets caught up in police activity to be made more clear, and the mayor gave this emotional response-
“Let me give you a public apology right now on behalf of the city of Houston,” Parker told Garcia. “I don’t know what airhead — there’s another word in my mind but I’m not going to say it — would throw, you wouldn’t put a kid on the side of the road. You shouldn’t put someone’s pet on the side of the road.”
A spokesperson for HPD sent condolences to the family, but could not comment, as an internal investigation is under way.
Police need to understand that pets are family, not objects to be left on the side of the road like trash or used as target practice. Lets all hope we actually see some justice for a change.
Really the cop should be given a medal. I'm sure it took every ounce of personal integrity and empathy for other living creatures for the cop to not shoot the dog on sight.
Also, to follow up with something I previously said, I also think that dogs should be given guns so that they can preemptively shoot police, too. It's just good policy.
Nah. If the dog was to be killed one way or another, a bullet would have been better than letting an elderly blind dog wander into traffic and getting run over. The cop is a moron and should the very least compensate the owner for the loss of the dog.
ASVS('97)/SDN('03)
"Whilst human alchemists refer to the combustion triangle, some of their orcish counterparts see it as more of a hexagon: heat, fuel, air, laughter, screaming, fun." Dawn of the Dragons
Compensation? Texas actually has comphresive criminal laws concerning abuse and abandonment of domesticated animals.
2. Failing to provide food, care or shelter
3. Abandoning an animal
9. Injuring an animal belonging to another person
House Bill 653 and Senate Bill 1724, commonly known as “Loco’s Law,” went into effect September 1, 2001, making animal cruelty a felony and punishable by a $10,000 fine and up to two years in jail. The law was named for a puppy called Loco, whose eyes were intentionally gouged out. Prior to Loco’s Law, animal cruelty was not considered a felony under Texas law. Today, animal cruelty convictions are classified as either a felony or misdemeanor.
Fine the shit out of him and throw him in jail, you know, like normal people.
slebetman wrote:What happens to a cop who's convicted of felony? Does he get to keep his job?
Generally, no. They have to go to jail like the rest of us. But the cop generally needs to murder someone in cold blood to even be charged with the crime in the first place.
In this case, it is possible that the police department, under intense pressure from the city government and the public, will hit this cop with Loco's Law. If that happens, I would think that they'll then allow the cop to plea down to a lesser crime that will allow him to keep his job, perhaps after a suspension. I don't think that there's any realistic possibility of the cop going to jail.
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance--that principle is contempt prior to investigation." -Herbert Spencer
"Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain." - Schiller, Die Jungfrau von Orleans, III vi.
