A citizen criminal complaint has been filed against Des Moines Police Officers Micheal Graddon and Steve Weiland, for their involvement in the shooting of Rosie, a Newfoundland Dog, in November. The charges were filed on behalf of Rosie’s owners’, Charles and Deirdre Wright.
The complaint charges Graddon and Weiland with allegedly committing acts of animal cruelty in the second degree and trapping and wounding an animal. Both of these charges are misdemeanors.
On Sunday Nov. 7 Des Moines police officers responded to a roaming dog call. The officers’ tased Rosie twice and unsuccessfully attempted use a catchpole in an effort to subdue and capture her. After attempts to capture Rosie failed the officers finally followed her into Lora Perry’s backyard. Based on her previous aggressive behavior, Sgt. Weiland gave officer Graddon permission to use lethal force.
Perry said Rosie had been in her yard for 20 minutes not moving, huddled in the bushes, before officers came into her backyard looking for her. She said her gate had been closed since Rosie had gotten into the backyard, and she would have allowed Rosie to stay there if the officers had asked.
Perry said she has a dog that had been outside with Rosie before Perry noticed she was in the bushes and at no point did Rosie act aggressively.
Previously, when the King County Prosecutor reviewed the case no criminal culpability was found on the actions of the officers.
The complaint includes comments from the officers that can be heard on their dash came videos, which the Wrights lawyer Adam Karp says indicate the officers priority was not to safely capture Rosie.
“I say we just shoot him, kill him. He’s gonna fight like a (expletive deleted) once he’s tased; I can try to choke him out,” Graddon said, during the half an hour officers spent trying to catch Rosie before shooting her.
Des Moines Interim Police Chief John O’Leary said some of the comments heard on the dash-cams were unprofessional, but said he agreed with the internal investigation and the King County Prosecutor that the officers acted within their rights and no disciplinary action would be taken against them.
Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler plans to meet with members of the Facebook group Justice for Rosie in a closed meeting next Friday. Sheckler said he is keeping it a closed meeting without other city council members or officials and no media, so people can feel free to ask whatever questions they want and air their grievences.