Reward offered after Parsons police chief's 3-month-old puppy killed, head severed

(From the Parsons Police Department)

On Friday December 3, 2021, Parsons Police received a call from one of our own staff reporting that their dog had been killed in the 1400 block of South 14th Street. Parsons Police Sergeant Waylon Kepley responded to the house.

It was reported that the registered pure bred black German Shepard was approximately 3 months old. The puppy, named 'Ranger', was let outside in the fenced back yard at approximately 7 am and at approximately 2 pm the owner found the black puppy lying in yard with its head severed. Officers determined that the puppy had its head sliced off with a sharpened blade at another location and then the suspects returned the body to the backyard.

Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said, "I cannot even describe my feelings of disdain for the person(s) responsible. I am an avid dog lover as I have made it clear to the community over the years that I have been here, I have 2 rescue dogs, one that I adopted from our local shelter. 

"The level of cowardice that would lead someone to kill a little puppy named 'Ranger' is astonishing. I pray that we get a chance for the judicial system to prosecute this coward and bring them to justice. We have reached out to the neighborhood to gain video from home surveillance systems in the area in order track this despicable criminal down. 

"This is disgusting enough that it was done to an animal in our community, but when you add in that this appears to be a targeted attack on the home and personal property of a police officer, this makes it nothing more than a hate crime. I will be talking to the Labette County Attorney's Office as well to charge it as such if we bring a suspect to light."

Parsons Police Deputy Chief Dennis Dodd said, "our officers are attacked, hit, kicked, bit, scratched, called every name in the book and even spit on, as a part of our job, but this kind of senseless attack on a puppy at the home of an officer can't be tolerated. We just can't allow this to happen as a community. The suspects clearly knew this was a law enforcement officers home."

This crime of cruelty to an animal is a felony for knowingly and maliciously killing an animal.

 Additionally, charges for criminal trespass would also be added.

Because this was a targeted attack of a law enforcement officers home, the Parsons Police Department is offering a $1,000.00 reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of the suspect(s) in this case. This reward is offered due to the alarming nature of this crime. 

If someone is willing to mutilate an innocent puppy due to the very nature of the owner's career, then it is possible that the suspect is willing to go even farther into the criminal underbelly and attack innocent children or family member to make a statement.

"We are calling on our citizens again to help solve a case. Someone somewhere knows something, and we just need to be told. So that we can follow up. We have hundreds of people in the community that are avid dog lovers. Please put your ears to the ground, let us know if you hear anything. I want this criminal brought to justice for our dog loving community and the family of poor Ranger," finished Spinks.

This continues to be an ongoing investigation and citizens are encouraged to "See It, Hear It, Report It." If anyone has any further information on this incident or any other criminal activity, please contact the Parsons Police Department at 421-7060 or call the Tip Line at 421-7057 or email at tips@parsonspd.com.