(This story has been updated to include additional information.)
CANTON – A deputy working in the Dog Warden Division of the Stark County Sheriff’s Office has been fired after fatally shooting one dog and seriously injuring another on June 10 in the city.
Stark County Sheriff Eric Weisburn said in a prepared statement June 13 that the shooting occurred after a resident in the 800 block of Sixth Street SW called 911 to report two aggressive, loose pit bulls roaming the neighborhood.
According to the caller, the dogs had attacked and bitten her grandson. Additional information indicated a second person was also bitten.
A deputy from the Dog Warden Division responded and found the pit bulls in the 800 block of Fifth Street SW, according to the release.
When the deputy approached the dogs, he fired, fatally shooting one and seriously injuring the other. The injured dog underwent surgery and is expected to survive. The owner of the dogs was cited for allowing the dogs to run at large.
Following an initial review of the incident, the deputy was fired for failing to follow proper protocols for handling aggressive animals, Weisburn said.
“While aggressive stray dogs can pose a danger in our communities, there are established procedures for safely addressing these situations, and lethal force is always the last option,” Weisburn said in a prepared statement about the June 10 incident. “In this case, lethal force was the first course of action, which is not acceptable to me or anyone at the Stark County Sheriff’s Office.”
The deputy who was fired, Alexander Stahl, also killed two dogs on May 4 in the 2200 block of 22nd Street NE, Canton.
In that May incident, the dogs reportedly charged at him. It occurred after residents called to ask for help with two loose dogs.
The homeowners had been feeding the dogs, but after the dogs became aggressive toward them, they called for assistance, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
“During the interaction, the dogs charged at the deputy, cornering him between the home and the homeowner’s vehicle,” the release said. “In response, the deputy discharged his weapon, resulting in the deaths of both dogs.”
A check of the dogs’ microchips identified their owner, who was found several miles away. He said the dogs had been running loose since May 3. He was cited for allowing dogs to be at large.
Stahl declined comment when reached by phone on June 13.
Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County deputy fired for shooting dogs, second deadly confrontation since May
Reporting by Nancy Molnar, Canton Repository / The Repository
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