Ex-Cop Found Not Guilty of Killing K-9 Partner
Cop cleared of any wrongdoing in kicking death of K-9 Duke
Trainer describes the death of Duke the K-9.
A former Miami-Dade cop was found not guilty of misdemeanor animal cruelty by a jury Friday, ending a four-year saga that will likely have animal activists in a frenzy.
Despite eyewitness testimony that Allen Cockfield repeatedly kicked his K-9 partner Duke until the dog had a seizure and eventually died, the jury reached the conclusion that the 25-year veteran cop's actions were warranted.
Cockfield had faced felony charges for killing a police dog, but the judge tossed the more serious offense out Thursday.
According to eyewitnesses, Cockfield had become angry at Duke because he was barking during an obedience training session.
One officer present during the June 2006 incident testified Cockfield lifted the dog up by its choke chain and then violently kicked the dog five or six times.
The dog then fell limp, wheezing on the ground, before going into a seizure and dying.
Duke and Cockfield had been partners for six months before the incident.
Defense attorneys claimed Cockfield, who has handled police dogs for two decades, was acting in self-defense.
