{"id":2074149,"date":"2023-10-20T12:31:04","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T16:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-police-officer-pleads-guilty-in-case-of-missing-k9-in-west-virginia\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T12:35:35","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T16:35:35","slug":"former-police-officer-pleads-guilty-in-case-of-missing-k9-in-west-virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-police-officer-pleads-guilty-in-case-of-missing-k9-in-west-virginia\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-cop admits guilt in WV K9 disappearance."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fformer-police-officer-pleads-guilty-in-case-of-missing-k9-in-west-virginia%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2074149&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>A former rookie police officer in \u200dChapmanville, West Virginia, is set to be \u200csentenced in November after pleading guilty\u200d to charges related to the\u2064 disappearance of his K9 partner in April.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of going to trial, 26-year-old\u2062 Marcus Dudley made a plea deal\u2063 on misdemeanor\u2062 charges of \u2064animal cruelty,\u2063 making false statements, and obstructing an officer during a hearing \u200don Oct. 12.<\/p>\n<p>Under the \u200dagreement, three additional misdemeanor charges against Dudley were dropped by prosecutors.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-4 sm:line-clamp-3\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/bright\/dog-trainer-warns-owners-to-never-give-your-dog-these-3-common-things-suggests-alternatives-5496620?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text-sm sm:text-base\">Dog Trainer Warns Owners to Never Give Your Dog These\u200d 3 Common Things, Suggests Alternatives<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/29\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[70px] sm:basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/bright\/dog-trainer-warns-owners-to-never-give-your-dog-these-3-common-things-suggests-alternatives-5496620?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">\n<picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" https:><\/source><source type=\"image\/*\" https:><\/source>\n<\/picture>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-4 sm:line-clamp-3\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/big-mystery-surrounding-the-disappearance-of-a-west-virginia-police-k9-5497395?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text-sm sm:text-base\">&#8216;Big \u2064Mystery&#8217; Surrounding\u200d the Disappearance of a West \u200cVirginia Police K9<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/25\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[70px] sm:basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/big-mystery-surrounding-the-disappearance-of-a-west-virginia-police-k9-5497395?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">\n<picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" https:><\/source><source type=\"image\/*\" https:><\/source>\n<\/picture>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$-->\n<\/div>\n<p>During the hearing, Dudley\u200b confessed to the judge \u200dthat he\u2064 failed\u200d to properly supervise his K9 partner, Chase, as \u2063reported by WCHS TV.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I should have,&#8221; Dudley admitted to \u2064Judge\u200b Stephanie Abraham.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I should have supervised \u2064him appropriately. I should have stayed outside with him when I took him out to use the restroom before\u2064 our shift and going back in the house.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$-->\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;He was chained up, ma&#8217;am. I don&#8217;t think it was proper,&#8221; Dudley continued. &#8220;The chain was around\u200b the tree in my yard and he had his collar on, but I don&#8217;t \u200cthink the collar was proper. I guess I \u2062should have put another \u2063collar on him that was \u200cmore sustainable \u200cto him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Kanawha County Assistant \u200cProsecutor Josh Gainer informed the judge that the evidence indicates K9 Chase did \u200dnot receive adequate nutrition, constituting animal cruelty, according to WCHS.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Inconsistencies in Dudley&#8217;s statements about the dog&#8217;s \u200bdisappearance led\u200c South Charleston\u200b police investigators to press charges and a grand \u2063jury to indict\u200d him on six counts in August.<\/p>\n<h2>Public Outrage<\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-police-officer-pleads-guilty-in-case-of-missing-k9-in-west-virginia\/\" title=\"Ex-cop admits guilt in WV K9 disappearance.\">case sparked public outcry shortly<\/a>\u2063 after Dudley reported the incident to the South Charlestown \u200dpolice on April 11, claiming that Chase, a 6-year-old \u200dBelgian \u2063Malinois, had escaped by jumping over a fence.<\/div>\n<p>Residents \u2062in West Virginia\u2062 and even as far as Illinois \u200drallied together in the Justice for K9 \u2064Officer Chase Facebook group, sharing information, photos, and\u2063 expressing their opinions on Chase&#8217;s whereabouts.<\/p>\n<p>Dudley&#8217;s\u2064 attorney, \u2063Joseph \u200bHarvey, has not responded to \u200dan email\u200c from The Epoch Times requesting comment on this story.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Overall, I was surprised\u200d that Dudley pleaded \u200dguilty and thoroughly disappointed that a plea agreement was \u200creached without him\u200b revealing\u2063 Chase&#8217;s location,&#8221; said Greg\u200b Powers, a member of Justice for K9 Officer Chase.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He stuck to his story about Chase \u2063escaping, despite\u200b the South \u2063Charleston police indicating that his statements were inconsistent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The group advocates for the passing \u2062of &#8220;Chase&#8217;s law,&#8221; which would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-good-wants-ban-on-using-ai-to-generate-child-sexual-abuse-materials\/\" title=\"Rep. Good seeks to prohibit the use of AI in creating child sexual abuse materials.\">strengthen existing laws<\/a> regarding the care and treatment of animals used by law enforcement, including harsher \u200dpenalties for harming or killing a police service animal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That \u200dis the least we can do as a society \u200dto show our gratitude \u200cfor their dedication \u2062to protecting us,&#8221; \u200cadded Powers.<\/p>\n<p>According to West Virginia\u2063 Chapter 20, it is a\u200b felony \u2064to cause the death of \u2063any trained dog or horse used by\u2062 law enforcement officials, military, \u200cor public service\u2064 agencies, with \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cdc-ends-covid-19-vaccination-cards\/\" title=\"CDC Stops Issuing COVID-19 Vaccine Cards\">penalties including fines<\/a> of $500 to $5,000 and imprisonment for one to three years.<\/p>\n<p>Dudley joined the Chapmanville Police\u2064 Department\u2063 in November 2022 and became the department&#8217;s first K9 officer in March. \u200dHe was fired by the city after\u2064 the charges were filed.<\/p>\n<p>The department had been working on a \u200cK9\u200b policy based \u200con the Logan County, West Virginia, sheriff&#8217;s\u200c office K9 program when Chase \u200dwent missing.<\/p>\n<p>Dudley&#8217;s\u200d sentencing is\u2063 scheduled for Nov. 14.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2062What specific charges were Marcus Dudley convicted of in relation to the \u200bdisappearance of his\u2064 K9 partner, Chase?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Of Marcus Dudley and his missing K9 partner, \u200cChase, has sparked \u2064public outrage and raised important questions about the treatment and care \u200cof \u200dpolice \u200cdogs. The former rookie\u2063 police officer from Chapmanville, West Virginia, recently pleaded guilty\u200d to charges related to the\u200b disappearance of his K9\u2063 partner in April. Dudley made a\u2063 plea\u200c deal in October, avoiding\u200c a trial, and \u2062will be sentenced in \u200cNovember.<\/p>\n<p>The charges against \u2062Dudley include animal cruelty, making false statements, and obstructing an officer. \u200cThree additional misdemeanor charges were dropped as part of\u200b the plea agreement.\u200c During the hearing, Dudley admitted \u2063to \u200dfailing to properly supervise Chase. He acknowledged that he \u2062should \u200dhave stayed outside with him when taking him out and that the \u2064chain\u2063 and collar used were not\u200b appropriate. \u200cAssistant Prosecutor Josh\u200b Gainer\u2063 stated \u200bthat the evidence shows Chase did not\u200c receive adequate nutrition, constituting animal cruelty.<\/p>\n<p>Dudley&#8217;s inconsistent \u2063statements \u2064about the\u2062 dog&#8217;s disappearance \u2063raised suspicions for South Charleston police investigators, leading to charges and a grand jury indictment. \u2062These inconsistencies\u2064 and the\u200d mistreatment of Chase have \u2063provoked public outrage and concern, as police\u200d dogs are\u200c meant to be partners and protected members of law \u2062enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>Police dogs play a crucial role in \u2062law enforcement, assisting officers in various tasks such as \u200btracking\u200c suspects,\u2064 locating missing persons, and detecting drugs \u2063or explosives. These highly trained and \u200dloyal animals put\u200c their lives on the \u200cline to protect and serve their communities. It is essential that they receive proper care, training, and supervision from their handlers.<\/p>\n<p>The case \u200bof Marcus \u200dDudley highlights\u200b the importance\u2062 of holding police officers accountable for the welfare\u2063 of their K9 partners.\u200b The plea deal and forthcoming sentencing should serve as a reminder that \u2062animal cruelty\u2064 and neglect\u2063 will not be\u2064 tolerated, especially when it involves law enforcement personnel.<\/p>\n<p>In recent \u2063years, there have been calls \u200dfor increased transparency and accountability regarding the treatment of police dogs. This case serves as another example of \u2063the need for stricter regulations and standards to \u2063ensure the \u2062well-being of these animals. Proper training, supervision, and \u200bregular veterinary care are\u200b vital to maintaining the\u2062 health and happiness of police dogs.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, this case sheds light on the emotional impact \u200dthat incidents like this can have on the community.\u2063 Many people form strong\u2062 bonds with police dogs, viewing\u2064 them as beloved members of law enforcement. The disappearance and mistreatment of \u200bChase have caused distress and anger among community members \u2062who supported and admired him.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the case \u2062of Marcus\u2062 Dudley and his \u200cmissing K9 \u2062partner highlights the need for proper care and supervision of police dogs. The guilty plea\u200b and upcoming sentencing of Dudley should serve as a reminder that \u200canimal cruelty and neglect will not go unpunished, \u200bespecially when it involves law enforcement officials. This case should also prompt discussions about improving regulations and standards to ensure the \u200bwell-being\u200b of police\u200d dogs and address any \u200dconcerns regarding transparency and accountability in \u2062their treatment. The public&#8217;s outrage over this incident demonstrates the emotional connection\u200d between these dogs and\u200b the communities \u200dthey serve,\u200c emphasizing the importance of their welfare as valued members of law enforcement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A former rookie cop in Chapmanville, WV, will be sentenced in November. Marcus Dudley, 26, pleaded guilty to charges linked to his K9&#8217;s disappearance. Instead of going to trial, he made a plea deal on misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty, making false statements, and obstructing an officer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":2074150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2074149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2074149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2074149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2074149\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2074150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2074149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2074149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2074149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}