Texas Cop Charged, Arrested For Following Dog, Shooting It After He Says It Killed His Cat
Officer Kenneth Flynn in Forth Worth, Texas, says he got a phone call from his wife that a neighbor told her a German shepherd killed the Flynn family cat, and went out looking for the dog. He says he didn't feel safe when he came upon the dog and another identified as a pit bull he says were "eyeing him" but followed the German shepherd anyway, eventually catching up to it behind a barn and shooting it from his SUV.
The Texas health and safety code permits the killing of dogs seen involved in a recent attack by witnesses or the pets' owners but Flynn lied to police officers when they asked him about his involvement. He's now charged with animal cruelty and stripped of his gun and badge but not yet his job. Flynn's lawyers insist his actions were legal. The Fort Worth Star Telegram reports:
According to the affidavit, it was Flynn's neighbor, Doug Goodlett, who had called 911 regarding a dog killing a cat.
But when interviewed by Carmichael at the scene, Goodlett refused to tell the deputy who was out shooting at dogs.
"I have to live here; I'm not saying anything," Goodlett responded, according to the affidavit.
When the deputy asked Flynn if he had been out chasing the dogs, "Flynn replied that he had just gotten home."
When later contacted by special investigation Detective S.J. Waters, Goodlett at first refused to answer her questions, stating repeatedly, "I don't know nothing about nothing."
In addition to the criminal charge, Flynn is being investigated by internal affairs.