“We are still not sure what happened in this incident,” Sheriff David Morgan tells the IN. “We have set protocols for these types of incidents.”
Morgan said that Internal Affairs has walked through several times what happened at the Heritage Oaks mobile home park where Vicki White was mistakenly attacked by ECSO K-9.
“We haven’t been able to figure out yet what happened. Witnesses inside the trailer were the K-9 handler was helping EMT workers deal with Ms. White’s son say that the officer never used the remote door release.”
“We have tested it two or three times haven’t found any technical malfunctions. We don’t know how the car door was opened and the dog released.”
Sheriff Morgan said that people are calling for the officer’s head or suspending the entire K-9 unit again. “The deputy followed procedures. He did nothing wrong. The dog somehow got out of the car, sought its handler and perceived Ms. White as a threat.”
Morgan went on to say the dog has special training and is good around the general public. “We take these dogs into elementary schools, where the kids pet them and tug on their ears.”
The sheriff did admit that his crisis intervention unit could have responded sooner to the incident, but any comments that the ECSO hasn’t been concerned with the medical care and health of Ms. White are untrue.
The ECSO is paying for Ms. White’s medical. The sheriff said that Lt. Potts, head of the K9 unit, went to the hospital and interviewed her, in accordance with the protocol established by DOJ. Lt. Pat Spears, head of community policing, has spent time with Ms. White and helped her get her water turned back on at the trailer park.
“The idea that we have been callous in this incident is unfounded,” says Sheriff Morgan. “Did we response to the News Journal’s phone calls as quickly as they wanted? I guess not.”
“But we wanted to be sure that we followed our protocols, made sure that Ms. White was taken care of and spoken with one voice.”