Joshua Parker is the owner of Athena, the Alabama dog I reported on who was gunned down by a police officer while less than two feet over the property line that divided Athena's home with that of the church next door. Parker has now been arrested on two leash law violations.
A female Cullman County police officer came out to the house over the weekend to serve two warrants on Joshua Parker. One was from the Cullman County Sheriff's Department, and the other from the church next door where Athena was gunned down.
This officer drove up in their driveway and saw the family's other dog tied outside. She was an intelligent officer who remained in her car and blew the horn until Josh came out.
The family stated this officer was very kind as she told him of the warrants. She went over the warrants with him and offered him the option of turning himself in to the police department instead of being handcuffed and put in the back of the police car.
The booking officer was also reported by the family to be very friendly, although he was shocked someone was actually being booked for violating the leash law. The booking officer stated that in the 14 years of his being with the Cullman County Police Department it's never been enforced. The booking officer went on to tell Josh that since the leash law is a state wide law, the chief would have had to have the warrant approved by the state to even have it issued.
Because this has never happened before, the booking officer and the arresting officer didn't even know the code to put on his bond. The officer's had to research what the leash law code number was.
Joshua Parker was allowed to sign himself out of the Cullman County Police Department on a personal recognizance bond and is scheduled for a court appearance in April.
What do the readers here think was the reason for serving the two warrants? Did it take two weeks for paperwork for the warrants to go through since this wasn't common practice to enforce the leash law? Or does this matter sound suspiciously like police intimidation and discrimination?
Your comments are encouraged.
Comments