Humane Society calls for deputy termination

The Louisiana Humane Society is asking for the termination of a Jeff Davis sheriff’s deputy after a dog died in his care and witnesses observed him striking another dog in public.

Executive Director Jeff Dorson said Wednesday that a national phone campaign is being launched in an effort to bring justice for K-9 Buck, the dog that died in the deputy’s custody.

“We are completely outraged at this deputy’s conduct,” Dorson said. “He violated community standards and common sense. We remain outraged as the rest of the nation will be when they hear about this.”

According to a post on social media, the deputy was observed kneeing his dog in the face when the dog did not isten to take a dewormer at a local veterinary office.

“The officer then picked the dog up by the leash off the ground and started swinging his head into the front grill metal bumper on the front of his cop car,” the post stated. “As the dog freaked out, the officer then started hitting the dog in the face.”

The deputy was named as Jeff Davis Sheriff’s Office Patrol Deputy Christopher Wallace, who is certified to train K-9s and is one of two officers at the department who handle the dogs.

“We have talked to other trainers and you don’t punch a dog in the face or swing him by his leash,” he said. “This is called a helicopter maneuver and it has not been widely used for over the last 20 years because it is thought to be abusive and out-of-date.”

In another separate incident, a dog that was owned by Wallace, but not the sheriff’s office, died in his custody due to heat exhaustion.

Jeff Davis Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Chris Ivey the dog died in a kennel that was equipped with fans and misters. He said several other dogs were out in the same conditions, however, they were not affected by the heat.

Ivey also said that he stood by Wallace’s actions at the veterinary office.

“The dog turned and latched a hold on him, so he swung him around to get him to release,” he said. “I would have done the same thing with my own dog.”

A public records request asks for copies of records that document the death of the dog, including the cause and circumstances of the death of the K-9 companion animal belonging to Wallace. Included in the request is information about that animal, including health records, injury reports and complaints against Wallace concerning that animal — both before the death and subsequent to the death.

Dorson says he believes the sheriff’s office is downplaying both incidents.

“There is something terribly wrong with this situation,” Dorson said. “His actions contributed to the death and suffering of his partner. We know that the body goes into convulsions and organ failure before death and he caused that when he made the decision to place him in a kennel outside unsupervised when the temperatures are in the 90s.”

He said he would like to see the sheriff’s office terminate Wallace immediately.

“We would have hoped that the sheriff would have higher standards in dealing with this situation,” he said. “We will not stand for it. They may not care, but we care deeply about Buck’s suffering and death. Louisiana has a long legacy of corruption and a history of indifference to the suffering of animals and the actions of Deputy Wallace and this department’s callous response to Buck’s death perpetuates that legacy. We are fully committed to ending that legacy by asking the nation to help us correct this wrong and see that Buck did not die in vain.”