Fiancee Whose Dog Killed Woman Is K-9 Officer

HUNTINGTOWN, MD – The fiancee of a Calvert County woman who was mauled to death by his dog is a Prince George’s County Department of Corrections K-9 officer who was away from home for training with his new police dog when the fatal attack happened, reports say. The large dog attacked Jenna Rae Sutphin, 28, of the unit block of Cherry Hill Road in Huntingtown, outside of her home and a Maryland State trooper shot the Dogo Argentino when it charged at him, authorities say.

Sutphin was taken to Calvert Memorial Health Center by ambulance and later transferred by air to Washington Medstar Hospital Center. Sutphin died Thursday afternoon from wounds to her head and neck, WTOP reports.

Sutphin’s fiance, Jason Hammer, is partnered with a 1-year-old Malinois shepherd mix, Yolonda Smedley with the Department of Corrections, said. Hammer has worked for the department for 12 years; Sutphin had been a Prince George's County employee for several years, and worked for the Office of Law as an aide for the county attorney at the time of her death.

Smedley told WTOP that the couple's home was inspected and they were interviewed before Hammer was assigned a K-9 to ensure that they could properly care for the police dog.

Drivers passing by Cherry Hill Road and Route 4 in Huntingtown called police about 7:15 a.m. Thursday morning to report the attack. When a trooper arrived he found the dog still attacking Sutphin in an overgrown area near the highway, adjacent to the front yard of the victim’s home.

As the trooper approached the scene, the dog began to aggressively move toward the trooper, say state police. In fear for his safety, the trooper fired his .40 caliber pistol, wounding the dog, which ran from the scene.

The trooper rendered first aid to the victim until EMS personnel arrived. Sheriff deputies from the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office also responded to assist.

The dog was located nearby, but threatened state police and deputies so officers shot and killed the animal.

Calvert County Animal Control also responded to the scene.

According to the American Kennel Club, Dogo Argentinos weigh 80 to 100 pounds as adults. The breed was developed to hunt big game in the rough Argentinian countryside, and more recently used in military and police work, says Petful.com.

Image of Dogo Argentino (not the animal involved in this attack) by Milorad Kravic via Shutterstock