06.07.07
What Are You Gonna Do, DOG? HUH?
I’m back. I promise. And I bring you this fun little story about a woman who made faces at a dog…and almost went to jail for it.
In July, Jayna Hutchinson was possibly drunk and happened to be at a convenience store in Chelsea, Vermont where a fight had broken out. When police responded to the scene, Ms. Hutchinson told police one of the men involved in the fight had assaulted her a day earlier and she wanted to report it. When the cop declined to speak to her because of her possibly intoxicated state at the moment, Ms. Hutchinson got a little annoyed. And demonstrated that annoyance by…staring through the police cruiser window at the dog sitting inside. The police characterized this staring as “taunting/harassing” and charged her with cruelty to a police animal. Seriously.
Now, make now mistake about it. I love dogs. Adore them even. I in no way support cruelty to police animals or animals of any other type. But to charge a tipsy woman with cruelty for HARASSINGLY STARING AT A DOG BEHIND A CAR WINDOW just makes me giggle.
Thankfully, just before trial, prosecutors dropped the charges because the dog couldn’t testify. Way to go, prosecutors, way to go.
