Post by KC on Aug 27, 2006 23:24:15 GMT -5
August 28, 2006 - SANTA ANA - A one-eyed police dog that sank its teeth into a police officer instead of a crook is at the center of a lawsuit filed by the injured officer.
Santa Ana Police Sgt. Bruce Leamer has sued the city and his own department, saying the investigation into the attack was rigged in favor of Ygor, a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois.
Leamer and another officer were searching a garage for a burglar in June 2005 when Ygor latched onto Leamer's leg and dragged him across the floor, according to the lawsuit.
The dog ignored shocks from his electric collar as well as his handler's commands and had to be pulled away.
Calling Ygor an "uncontrollable, deadly and dangerous weapon" who is unfit for duty, Leamer says that the city and police department should have known the four-legged crime fighter was dangerous.
Leamer's lawsuit, filed earlier this month in federal court in Los Angeles, blames the dog's trainer, David Reaver of Adlerhorst International Inc., a kennel in Riverside.
Reaver, who has been sued dozens of times in the past decade for police-dog bites, called the latest lawsuit part of a vendetta he says lawyer Donald Cook has against him.
Cook, a longtime critic of what he calls police-dog misuse, has represented criminals who claim authorities allow law-enforcement dogs to maul maliciously.
Reaver estimates Cook has cost him a half-million dollars in legal fees over the past decade. Cook said he lost the two cases against Reaver that went to trial.
More than 400 law-enforcement agencies have bought dogs from Reaver, mostly German shepherds and Belgian Malinois. Male Malinois typically weigh between 60 and 80 pounds.
The trained dogs cost from $6,800 to $7,800.
If the lawsuit goes to trial, Reaver says he intends to call Ygor as a witness.
"If you saw this dog, he'd come sit in your lap," he said. "This is a very well-trained, very social dog."
The day of the attack on Leamer, Ygor's handler ordered the pooch to remain still on the garage floor, according to the lawsuit. Leamer had drawn his gun and was scanning the rafters for the burglar when the dog charged and chomped.
Leamer, 48, was hospitalized with severe gashes to his lower right leg and bites to his right hand.
He was unable to work for more than two months and continues to suffer leg pains, according to Cook.
The fact that Ygor was wearing an electric shock collar indicates his handler had had problems with him, Cook said. But Reaver said many police dogs wear the collars.
Ygor probably attacked because Leamer or his handler made a mistake, Reaver said.
Before transferring to Santa Ana, Ygor worked with police in Corona, where he lost an eye in a training accident. He quit Corona after his handler left the force.
Ygor, who celebrated a birthday Aug. 20, is still on active duty.
www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/state/15374298.htm
Santa Ana Police Sgt. Bruce Leamer has sued the city and his own department, saying the investigation into the attack was rigged in favor of Ygor, a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois.
Leamer and another officer were searching a garage for a burglar in June 2005 when Ygor latched onto Leamer's leg and dragged him across the floor, according to the lawsuit.
The dog ignored shocks from his electric collar as well as his handler's commands and had to be pulled away.
Calling Ygor an "uncontrollable, deadly and dangerous weapon" who is unfit for duty, Leamer says that the city and police department should have known the four-legged crime fighter was dangerous.
Leamer's lawsuit, filed earlier this month in federal court in Los Angeles, blames the dog's trainer, David Reaver of Adlerhorst International Inc., a kennel in Riverside.
Reaver, who has been sued dozens of times in the past decade for police-dog bites, called the latest lawsuit part of a vendetta he says lawyer Donald Cook has against him.
Cook, a longtime critic of what he calls police-dog misuse, has represented criminals who claim authorities allow law-enforcement dogs to maul maliciously.
Reaver estimates Cook has cost him a half-million dollars in legal fees over the past decade. Cook said he lost the two cases against Reaver that went to trial.
More than 400 law-enforcement agencies have bought dogs from Reaver, mostly German shepherds and Belgian Malinois. Male Malinois typically weigh between 60 and 80 pounds.
The trained dogs cost from $6,800 to $7,800.
If the lawsuit goes to trial, Reaver says he intends to call Ygor as a witness.
"If you saw this dog, he'd come sit in your lap," he said. "This is a very well-trained, very social dog."
The day of the attack on Leamer, Ygor's handler ordered the pooch to remain still on the garage floor, according to the lawsuit. Leamer had drawn his gun and was scanning the rafters for the burglar when the dog charged and chomped.
Leamer, 48, was hospitalized with severe gashes to his lower right leg and bites to his right hand.
He was unable to work for more than two months and continues to suffer leg pains, according to Cook.
The fact that Ygor was wearing an electric shock collar indicates his handler had had problems with him, Cook said. But Reaver said many police dogs wear the collars.
Ygor probably attacked because Leamer or his handler made a mistake, Reaver said.
Before transferring to Santa Ana, Ygor worked with police in Corona, where he lost an eye in a training accident. He quit Corona after his handler left the force.
Ygor, who celebrated a birthday Aug. 20, is still on active duty.
www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/state/15374298.htm