Missouri Police chief who took a family’s lost puppy to a firing range and shot it dead has resigned

A Missouri Police chief resigned this week after he was found to have used a caged puppy as target practice at a firing range.

According to reports, officer Andrew Spencer of the Sparta Police Department found a loose pit bull puppy and forced the animal into a cage with a catcher pole.

Spencer wrote in his report that he was going to take the dog to a shelter to have the animal “destroyed,” but then got another call about a car accident.

“The cheapest vet to destroy the dog at the cost of the city,” Spencer wrote in the report. “Due to the higher priority call and the imminent destruction of the dog, I decided it was best to destroy the dog and respond to the accident.”

He claimed that the dog was “charging” at people in the neighborhood, but admitted the puppy did not bite anyone or cause any damage. The report stated that Spencer took the dog to the department’s firing range, where he shot it once in the head before responding to the vehicular incident. He reportedly returned later and buried the dog.

Sparta’s city attorney, Harry Styron, told the News-Leader that the city requires all dogs to be held for at least five days after the animal was picked up. While pit bulls are prohibited breed in Sparta county, they are not the exception.

The owner of the puppy Elizabeth Womack said that her puppy named “Chase” was extremely peaceful and friendly animal. Womack wrote on her Facebook page how she attempted to contact the police and was lied to on several occasions about the incident.

Featured image via The Free Thought Project.

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