Attorneys/Judges
| Defense(s): | Bill Matthewman | | Judge(s): | Darrin Gayles |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
more information on voting
When you vote, you are voting on whether or not the punishment fit the crime, NOT on the severity of the case itself. If you feel the sentence was very weak, you would vote 1 star. If you feel the sentence was very strong, you would vote 5 stars.
Please vote honestly and realistically. These ratings will be used a a tool for many future programs, including a "Peoples Choice" of best and worst sentencing, DA and judge "report cards", and more. Try to resist the temptation to vote 1 star on every case, even if you feel that 100 years in prison isnt enough.
Case #13326 Rating: 1.0 out of 5
K-9 dog starved to death
Miami, FL (US)Incident Date: Friday, Nov 9, 2007
County: Miami-Dade
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Rondal Lardy Brown
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Miami Officer Rondal Brown, suspected of allowing his police dog to starve to death, will surrender Monday morning (March 10, 2008) to face criminal charges.
Brown, a popular veteran K-9 handler, had been relieved of duty as police internal affairs detectives and prosecutors probed the death of Dynasty, a 4-year-old bloodhound that specialized in finding missing persons.
When the dog was taken to the veterinarian in January 2007, she weighed more than 60 pounds. When she died in November, she weighed 33 pounds, investigators believe.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office declined to comment.
Brown, 48, will face charges of cruelty to animals and an offense against a police dog, both third-degree felonies.
''Any and all false allegations or charges which may be lodged against Officer Ron Brown will be vigorously defended and refuted,'' his attorney, William Matthewman, said Sunday. ``It is utter nonsense for anyone to claim that Officer Brown intentionally harmed or killed his police dog, Dynasty. Officer Brown was devastated by the death of Dynasty and continues to grieve for Dynasty.
RARE CASES
Brown will be the second K-9 officer in Miami-Dade County to be charged with the death of his dog partner. Both cases are considered rare.
Miami-Dade Sgt. Allen Cockfield was arrested last year after authorities say he fatally kicked his German shepherd, Duke (read case). Cockfield pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial on charges of animal cruelty and killing a police dog, a third-degree felony.
Brown was hired by Miami police in 1987 and has spent most of his two decades working with police dogs. He is married to Florence Edwards Brown, a Broward County sheriff's deputy.
COMMENDATIONS
His personnel file contains no major allegations of misconduct. He boasts more than 30 letters of commendation. In a recent evaluation, a superior wrote:
''Officer Brown maintains a bloodhound in top condition, ready to respond to person searches for children and elderly missing persons,'' and, ``K-9 work is dirty. Officer Brown maintains a professional appearance at all times.''
HEALTH PROBLEMS
Before he came under investigation, Brown had been on desk duty because of heart problems.
Dynasty was donated to the department in 2004 by a foundation created to honor slain 9-year-old Jimmy Ryce.
Kidnapped and murdered in 1995, Jimmy had been the subject of an intense police manhunt. The Jimmy Ryce Foundation believes bloodhounds might have helped find the boy sooner.
With extremely sensitive noses and droopy skin and ears that sweep the ground to kick up scents, bloodhounds offer police departments unique weapons to find missing persons.
Dynasty's breeder, Pam Andrews, told The Miami Herald last month that the extremely loyal bloodhounds will often stop eating if their handler is not around.
''Bloodhounds love humans. They want to be with people to the death. They [do searches] for no other reason than to please the handler,'' Andrews said.
Case UpdatesA former Miami police officer accused of starving his police dog to death will serve one year of probation under a plea deal announced Tuesday.
Rondal Brown, 51, also agreed to give up his law enforcement certification, meaning he can't be a cop in Florida anymore.
Brown pleaded no contest, and Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Darrin Gayles found him guilty of a reduced charge: one count of misdemeanor animal cruelty.
Prosecutors initially charged Brown with cruelty to animals and an offense against a police dog, both third-degree felonies.
He was accused of allowing his partner, a 4-year-old bloodhound named Dynasty, to waste away in 2007. The 4-year-old bloodhound, donated by the Jimmy Ryce Foundation three years earlier, specialized in finding missing persons.
Weighing 66 pounds during a checkup in January 2007, Dynasty was only 33 pounds at death, veterinarians told investigators.
Brown, who has since retired from the department and is dealing with a delicate heart condition, took the deal "to avoid the stress of a trial," said defense attorney Bill Matthewman.
"He's retired and he will open new doors in his life," Matthewman said.
As part of the deal, Brown must pay $500 to the Jimmy Ryce Foundation to replace Dynasty, plus $1,000 to Miami-Dade's Animal Services trust fund. | | Update posted on Feb 8, 2011 - 8:23PM |
After a joint investigation undertaken by the City of Miami Police Department and the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, City of Miami K-9 Officer Rondal Lardy Brown has been charged with two (2) felony offenses resulting from the death of his assigned K-9 partner, a bloodhound named "Dynasty, at Officer Brown's home.
These charges arise from circumstances that were initiated on November 30, 2007,when Officer Rondal Brown notified his K-9 unit supervisor that he found his police dog, Dynasty dead in her dog kennel. Upon arriving at Officer Brown's home, the supervisor found the dog's corpse bagged and ready for disposal, with a strong foul odor coming from the bag. The dog's body was transported to the Knowles Animal Clinic where the doctor noticed the strong foul odor coming from the dog, the dog's sunken eyes and the dog's protruding rib cage. The investigation noted that the dog was last seen at the Knowles Animal Clinic, its medical provider, on January 23, 2007. At that time Dynasty was in good health, weighing 66 pounds. On November 30th, the animal weighed thirty-three (33) pounds, half of her previous body weight. A necropsy performed at the animal clinic revealed an open wound on the dog's front paw where the bone and tendon were visible. The necropsy also revealed the dog had no body fat or muscle tissue and lacked any food or fecal matter in her intestinal track. The doctors estimated that it would have taken at least a month for the dog to reach its physical condition. Based on the investigative conclusion that Officer Brown intentionally failed to provide his Police Department search dog, Dynasty, with the daily care it needed to sustain its life resulting in the dog's death from malnutrition, Officer Brown has been charged with two (2) felonies.
* The specific charges files against Officer Brown are: 1 count Cruelty to Animals 3rd Degree Felony
* 1 count Offenses against Police Dogs 3rd Degree Felony | Source: Miami Dade Office of State Attorney - March 10, 2008
Update posted on Aug 29, 2008 - 10:27PM |
References |
