Posted on 05/01/2009 12:37:14 AM PDT by Chet 99
Waterville, Vermont - April 30, 2009
An Essex police officer is facing a criminal investigation. Troopers say Mike Wootton was off duty in his hometown of Waterville, when he broke up a fight between his dog and a neighbor's dog Thursday afternoon. Troopers say Wootton then went back to his house, got a gun, and returned to the neighbor's yard. According to eyewitnesses he then fired one shot at the dog, killing it. The owner's two year old daughter was playing just feet away.
"They're supposed to serve and protect. How can they shoot a gun and kill my daughter's dog right in front of her," said Mindy Maskell, the owner of the dog.
Troopers say Wootton admits he did not see the child before he fired. Essex Police declined comment on the case, pending the results of the State Police investigation.
WCAX News
Another wannabe cop...a pretender in uniform.
Across the US....there are ten thousand of these guys serving us in terms of “protection”. State police usually filter these guys out...and they end up as your county or town cops.
From my hometown...they brought in some guy as their “chief” who immediately started going after Homeland Security grants. This is a two-cop town...which most local busts are DWI’s or speeders. This guy ended up getting some $15k grant to buy extra special night-vision equipment. The town council discovered six months later that he was using it constantly to go hunting with. They fired the guy and then had to go through some huge mess in trying to sell government-procured night-vision equipment (you can’t just sell it to anyone apparently).
I don’t know. the article says he had broken up a fight between the two dogs. That could mean several things. If a neighbor’s vicious dog came over to my yard and mauled one of my pets, I probably would have done the same thing. Not enough info to pass judgement IMO.
Troopers say Wootton then went back to his house, got a gun, and returned to the neighbor's yard
That says the dogfight and the cop's vicious dog were in the neighbour's yard.
You've got to be joking! Did you not read this from the article? -
"The owner's two year old daughter was playing just feet away.
The shooting happened after Wootton's dog went to a neighbor's property and got into a fight with a dog owned by Melinda Maskell. Police say Wootton then went home, got a handgun and fired one shot at the dog.
http://www.reformer.com/latestnews/ci_12271226
Nope, it’s not my job to pass judgement. My aunt and her toy dog were recently attacked by a vicious pitbull. I can understand what would lead a man to deal with a problem like this in this manner. I don’t normally defend rampaging LE officers but, in this case, I’m willing to give the man the benefit of the doubt until a jury trial or an internal review establishes exactly what the circumstances were. What’s more, the credibility of the reporting is questionable and is, furthermore, the only source of information in this matter. Information, to be useful, has to be corroborated by multiple reputable sources. I’m sure a fair trial will illicit the truth of the matter as well as any punitive measures that need to be handed out should that be deemed appropriate.
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