WAYNE COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 29, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office is sharing information about an incident that occurred in early October and apparently generated a great deal of controversy.
On October 2, a dog bit a visitor to the dog owner’s home. The victim had been invited to the home by the owners and had been a guest in the home many times before, a WCSO Facebook post says.
“It is important to know that the bite was not a nip, it was an extremely serious bite,” the post says.
At the victim’s request and “because of threatening Facebook messages directed toward Deputy Brandon Burr,” the sheriff’s office is providing more details, including graphic photos, to help the community understand the extent of the injury and the concern surrounding the dog’s behavior.
The photo with the bloody undergarments was taken the night the victim was bitten.
“Deep bruising and four puncture wounds are clearly visible,” the WCSO’s post says.
“The dog in question was with another dog in the back of a pickup truck parked in the town right-of-way. The dog did not bark, growl or give any other type of warning,” the post says.
The dog was allowed to be quarantined at the home of the owner for 10 days.
“The victim stated the parents of the dog owner had agreed to ‘put the dog down’ following the quarantine,” the post says.
After the quarantine, the victim received notice that there were no signs of rabies.
A few days later, the WCSO post says, the sheriff’s office received reports that the dog had been observed out of its kennel and loose in the owner’s yard.
“Deputies attempted to contact the owner of the dog on four separate occasions,” the post says. “During that time, we received more complaints about the dog being allowed to go loose.
“On the fifth attempt, 10/18/2019, Deputy Brandon Burr was able to make contact and obtain the dog from the owner. Deputy Burr stated the dog’s behavior was such that he did not believe he could get it safely into the County kennel.
“He and I had discussed previously the need and importance of enforcing the County Ordinance (09-07-04-2) and if need be, the dog could be destroyed (paragraph 5) to prevent any future injury to any other citizen of the County. The decision was made to destroy the animal.”
The incident was reviewed by Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, the County Attorney’s Office, the Wayne County Commission, and Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).
“It has been determined that there was no violation of policy, ordinance or statute on the part of Deputy Brandon Burr.
“The report concerning the dog bite has been sent to the Wayne County Attorney’s Office to be reviewed and he will determine if any charges will be filed,” the sheriff’s office post says.
The sheriff’s office has received copies of social media posts “from several people in the community who expressed concern about comments directed toward the Sheriff’s Office and Deputy Burr.”
An investigation will now be conducted into the threatening comments.
The victim of the dog attack is receiving continued medical treatment, the sheriff’s office says.
The photo on the right was taken on Oct. 29 — 27 days after the attack.
