NEW FOR JULY 16, 2014 PIQUA POLICE KILL DOG THAT GAVE U.S. MARINE VETERAN SUPPORT AFTER HE RETURNED FROM TWO COMBAT TOURS IN AFGHANISTAN Editor’s note: Repeated attempts were made to ask the Piqua Police Department about the shooting of the dog to allow them to tell their side of the story, however, they refused to answer questions asked by The Miami County Reporter. By Kathy Leese United States Marine Veteran Joe Weigel began to cry as he described the way that Dozer, a dog described as an “American Bully/Staffordshire Terrier Mix” or a “Pitbull mix” provided support to him after his return from two combat tours in Afghanistan and a four year stint in the United States Marines. Weigel said he was told the dog would help him deal with the realities of the war he had witnessed and Dozer did that. “He (Dozer) was with me every step of the last two years,” Weigel said. He noted that he was discharged from the Marines on February 12, 2012 and Dozer was born on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2012 and quickly stole Weigel’s heart. Weigel got the puppy when he was about four weeks old and the two became inseparable. He trained him quickly. “I took him to work with me for months when I worked security,” Weigel said. “He (Dozer) helped me get through all of that (readjusting to civilian life)….now he’s not here,” Weigel said. Things changed on July 13 after 1 a.m., when officers were called by neighbors regarding an argument between Weigel and his fiancée, Amber Highley. Weigel said the situation was resolved before officers even arrived, but before they left, an officer would shoot and kill Dozer. According to a report obtained from the Piqua Police Department after a repeated request for the information, the incident was described as a “domestic dispute” and an “animal problem” at 1023 Jill Court. According to the report filed by Lt. Preston of the Piqua Police Department who was the officer who shot the dog, when officers arrived, they noted, “a large dog (Pitbull) came around the rear of the house and was barking. I could tell the dog was on a chain at that point.” Weigel spoke with officers and then “turned his (Weigel’s) attention to the barking dog. Joe (Weigel) started walking toward the dog and stated he was going to put the dog up. I told Joe to just leave the dog alone as it was chained up and was not a priority at that point.” While one officer spoke with Amber Highley, it was stated in the police report, “I had Joe step back outside to allow that conversation to happen. I stood by the doorway to the apartment and Joe walked around the side of the apartment building. I went over to see what Joe was doing and saw him hold the collar of the barking dog. The dog was pulling away from Joe and Joe had his arm fully extended.” “Almost immediately, the dog got free from Joe and ran towards me. I attempted to back away but the dog continued at me and lunged towards me. I had my hand on my duty gun as the dog was running towards me and once it lunged at me, with its front feet in the air, I drew my gun and fired one shot downward at the dog. The dog immediately dropped to the ground and died moments later. While the dog was loose, Joe was yelling, but I could not make out what he was saying. Joe later stated he was telling me the dog was not going to bite me. The dog is a 3-year-old Pitbull named Dozer,” Preston stated. According to Weigel, someone outside near the scene stated that they heard Weigel ask the officer not to shoot his dog. Officers on the scene stated that Weigel and Highley began swearing at them and Weigel was yelling that his dog had been killed. “The dog was left with Joe and Amber,” Preston wrote. “I attempted to photograph the dog, but Amber started yelling and did not allow that to happen. I took several blurry photos from a distance.” It was noted that no charges were filed. Amber said she was talking with Officer Voskuhl inside the apartment when they heard what she described as a “loud bang….I knew instantly as soon as I heard it” that Dozer was shot, she stated. “He (Dozer) was part of my family,” Amber said, beginning to cry. She said she ran outside and found Dozer lying there. She said she “put my arm under (Dozer’s) head. I rubbed the top of his head. Tried to comfort him. Tried to love on him while he was dying. It sucks he had to suffer like that….inhumane.” Amber and Weigel described the dog’s last minutes after it was shot, in details that The Miami County Reporter has chosen not to report due to the graphic nature of the scene. “I probably shouldn’t have, but I gave him (Officer Preston) an earful,” Amber said. She said she asked Preston, “what should I tell my boys?” She said Preston responded, “‘Ma’am, I was just doing my job.’” Amber has three children, ages 8, 6 and 16 months, who were not home at the time of the shooting. Amber said she knows there is a lot of “discrimination” against Pitbulls and Pitbull mixes and worried about Dozer, even though she and Weigel and a family member said he was very gentle. Greg Highley, who is Amber’s sister and a graduate of the Edison Community College Police Academy and is a graduate of Edison Community College with a degree in criminal justice with honors, described the dog as “nothing but gentle.” Greg said Dozer would “greet me at the door with his tail wagging.” He said he wrestled with the dog playfully and he “never bit me, never snapped at me, the worst he’d do is slobber on you.” He said walking in the house is not the same since Dozer was killed. Greg, who had been at Country Concert with his wife, did not hear about the shooting until Sunday morning about 9 a.m. “I was in shock….I was mad that someone would kill a dog like that. That dog would never harm somebody.” Greg said that in his training in the police academy, “they don’t teach us to shoot first.” Instead, Greg said, they are taught to “use the least amount of force possible.” Greg believes that pepper spray would have been a better alternative. “He (Preston) went straight for his gun.” “What he (Dozer) saw was a big stranger pointing a gun at him,” Greg said. Greg said that his sister, Amber, is having a hard time. “My sister can’t hardly eat….she wakes up in the middle of the night.” According to Greg, the dog had heart problems that were recently discovered. “He (Dozer) was probably around 2 (years old) when they found out (about the heart problems).” “They actually loved the dog,” Greg said, noting that the kids loved the dog. “They always played with him.” Photos show the dog sleeping with the children. Greg said that he went with Weigel to see if they could get a copy of the police report, but were told it “had to go through something, a process.” He said they were told they could only “get specific information.” Weigel, who also attended the Edison Community College Police Academy, said he just wanted to take his dog inside when officers arrived, but they would not let him. “I’m less than 8 feet away begging him (Officer Preston) don’t shoot my dog. I was absolutely helpless. He (saw) Dozer run around the corner. Dozer was 5 to 6 feet away from him. Dozer was trying to get inside. This stranger’s standing there with a gun.” When the officer shot the dog, Weigel said, “my jaw dropped. I was absolutely in shock.” He said that in spite of seeing horrible scenes in Afghanistan, he was not prepared to watch his dog killed, especially the dog that had been therapy for him. “I went over and served my country,” Weigel said. “I put my life on the line so he (Preston) could have that job. I’m defending his right to have those powers.” But he said he misses the dog that meant so much to him. “What am I supposed to do now?” Weigel said the children are upset about the loss of their dog, although the couple has not told them what actually happened. “I don’t want them to hate cops,” Weigel said. “They (kids) cry themselves to sleep” every night since the shooting. “He (Dozer) was a big lap dog,” Weigel said. The dog even alerted the couple when the baby was crying. Weigel said that Dozer could not have jumped in the way the officer said due to his heart problems. “It’s physically impossible.” The dog had “never bitten anybody,” according to Weigel. Weigel wonders if things would have been different if it had been a different breed. “It’s a Golden Retriever, it’s a Jack Russell….you tell me, would that dog have got shot?” The couple and Greg Highley do not blame the entire Piqua Police Department, but they want answers about the shooting. Piqua Police Chief Bruce Jamison refused to answer questions from The Miami County Reporter, replying only that “yes” he has stated that he believes Officer Preston acted appropriately. The couple’s family and friends have offered support and comfort and they are grateful. Their veterinarian, who was helping to care for the dog’s heart problems, sent a sympathy note. “There’s been a lot of support. It’s nice….people care,” Weigel said. But he misses the big dog who helped him to cope with his return to the United States and everyday life a long way from Afghanistan. “He (Dozer) was my best friend.” Both Weigel and Amber Highley are on Facebook and several individuals have posted to their pages offering support.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 16:01:08 +0000
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