Baltimore Officer Cleared of Animal Cruelty Charges

The Baltimore Police officer accused of slitting a dog’s throat in Canton last year has reportedly been acquitted of animal cruelty charges.

Jeffrey Bolger, 50, of Eldersburg, was cleared of all wrongdoing by Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn, who determined there was insufficient evidence for a conviction, The Baltimore Sun reported.

The judge also cited testimony from the city’s medical examiner indicating the dog was already deceased when the officer made an incision.

See Also:

• Baltimore Officer Charged with Animal Cruelty After Slitting Dog’s Throat
• Baltimore Police Department Suspends Second Officer in Dog Death

Charges came after police responded in June 2014 to a dog bite reported in the 700 block of South Grundy Street, according to ABC 2 News.

Bolger and his partner found a 7-year-old shar-pei named Nala who had reportedly gotten out of her owner’s yard, bitten a pregnant woman and traveled approximately 1 mile from home.

The judge said officers followed procedure by using a pole to try and control the dog, who was foaming at the mouth and ultimately becamestrangled by the device, according to WBAL.

Bolger allegedly used a knife to cut her throat. He was charged with animal cruelty, misconduct in office and two counts of mutilating an animal in connection with the incident on June 14, 2014, according to court records.

Bolger’s attorney said the dog was going to be killed for rabies testing, and Bolger made the incision so she would not have to “suffer needlessly,” WBAL reported.

In making her ruling, the judge provided a “lengthy explanation” of why evidence was insufficient, WBAL reported; for example, witness statements were contradictory and an assessment by a veterinarian was deemed unreliable in part due to the vet’s prior knowledge of the story through media coverage.

Nala’s owner, 30-year-old Sarah Gossard, alleged police did not tell her at the time how the dog died.

“I learned from the news that she was stabbed in the throat,” Gossard told CNN last year. “I want justice.”

On Thursday, Gossard wrote on the Justice for Nala Facebook page which she started in the aftermath of her dog’s death that she was “heartbroken” by the verdict.

“I don’t feel that justice was served but I can only hope that Nala’s death has raised animal cruelty awareness. I would never want anyone to go through what I’ve been through,” Gossard wrote.

Police said at the time of the incident that Bolger was suspended without pay. Negative publicity from the case forced Bolger to retire early after a 20-year career with Baltimore Police, according to The Baltimore Sun.