Baltimore cop charged with killing domestic dog

BALTIMORE, June 19 (UPI) -- A Baltimore cop has been arrested and stands charged with aggravated animal cruelty for allegedly cutting a domesticated dog's throat over the weekend.

On June 14, Sarah Gossard's 7-year-old shar-pei Nala escaped Gossard's property, prompting a neighborhood-wide search. Nala was found only a few blocks away, visibly lost and thirsty, by neighbor Sandy Fleischer.

Fleischer called the police after Nala bit her, but did not witness the animal's entire apprehension as she was receiving treatments for the bite.

"You could hear the dog screaming and crying in pain," Fleischer told local NBC affiliate WBAL. "I did see one officer that had been extremely aggressive that did have his knee into her chest that was tightening the noose, it seemed relentlessly and unnecessarily."

Once Nala was secured on the dog pole, Officer Jeffrey Bolger took matters into his own hands, allegedly saying in front of witnesses, "I am going to [expletive] gut this thing." Bolger then proceeded to slit Nala's neck, killing her shortly thereafter. Nala died wearing the identification tag engraved with her owner's phone number.

"I heard it yelp a few times," witness Robbe Reddinger told the Baltimore Sun.

"It was kind of a weird yelp, and then I didn't hear anything after that. Then they dragged it."

"Unfortunately, at some point after the dog was contained, one of our officers used a knife and cut the dog's throat," Baltimore Police Deputy Commissioner Dean Palmere confirmed in a statement.

"This is outrageous and an unacceptable breach of our protocol."

Although the incident occurred Saturday, Baltimore Police did not inform Gossard of the horrific circumstances surrounding Nala's death until Wednesday.

"She went missing Saturday and after looking for her all day, I found out through a neighbor that she was put down," Gossard explained to CNN.

"I learned from the news that she was stabbed in the throat. I want justice."