A former rookie police officer in Chapmanville, West Virginia, faces sentencing in November after he pleaded guilty to charges related to the disappearance of his K9 in April.
Rather than go to trial, Marcus Dudley, 26, cut a plea deal on misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty, making false statements, and obstructing an officer at a hearing on Oct. 12.
Prosecutors dropped three additional misdemeanor charges against the former South Charleston resident under the plea agreement.
At the hearing, Mr. Dudley admitted before a judge that he didn’t “provide the proper supervision” for K9 “Chase,” as reported by WCHS TV.
“I should have,” Mr. Dudley told Judge Stephanie Abraham.
“I should have supervised him appropriately. I should have stayed outside with him when I took him out to use the restroom before our shift and going back in the house.”
“He was chained up, ma'am. I don’t think it was proper,” Mr. Dudley continued. “The chain was around the tree in my yard and he had his collar on, but I don’t think the collar was proper. I guess I should have put another collar on him that was more sustainable to him.”
Kanawha County Assistant Prosecutor Josh Gainer told the judge that the evidence shows that K9 Chase did not receive proper nutrition, amounting to animal cruelty, WCHS also reported.
Public Outrage
The case drew public outcry soon after Mr. Dudley reported the incident to police in South Charlestown on April 11, claiming Chase, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois, had jumped over a fence and run away.Residents in West Virginia and as far away as Illinois formed the Justice for K9 Officer Chase Facebook group to provide information and photos and voice opinions as to Chase’s whereabouts.
Mr. Dudley’s attorney, Joseph Harvey, has yet to return an email from The Epoch Times seeking comment for this story.
“Overall, I was surprised [Mr. Dudley] plead guilty [and] thoroughly disappointed that a plea agreement was reached without his telling the whereabouts of Chase,” said Justice for K9 Officer Chase member Greg Powers.
“He seemed to stick to his story about Chase escaping, although [South Charleston police] basically indicated that wasn’t the case with his inconsistent statements.”
The group supports the passage of “Chase’s law,” to strengthen existing laws regarding the procurement, training, housing, and proper care of animals used by law enforcement, including stricter penalties for harming or killing a police service animal.
“That is the least we as a society can do in return for their commitment to helping us when called upon,” Mr. Powers said.
“Many still look at these K9s as ’tools’ when, in reality, they are an extension of their handler.”
West Virginia Chapter 20 makes it a felony crime for any person who—“without justification, and with the unlawful intent to inflict serious physical injury or death—causes the death of any trained dog or horse used by law enforcement officials,” military, or public service agencies.
The penalty for each offense includes a fine of $500 to $5,000 and one to three years in a state correctional facility.
Mr. Dudley joined the Chapmanville Police Department in November 2022 and became the department’s first K9 officer in March. The city fired him after the charges were filed.
The department had been working on a K9 policy using the Logan County, West Virginia, sheriff’s office K9 program as a model when Chase went missing.
Mr. Dudley is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 14.
