A blind-and-deaf dog was shot and killed by a Sturgeon police officer on Sunday, the city confirmed in a Monday social media post. The city claimed the officer saw the dog “behaving strangely and displaying signs of possible injuries” that was “perceived to be rabid behavior.”
Warning: These videos is graphic and not suitable for children.
City of Sturgeon Missouri Press Release
UPDATE:
On Friday evening, I was informed that the Mayor would be resigning and I would be assuming his role. The board of Alderman and myself do not agree with former Mayor’s statements and were not giving any notice before release. The first time any Alderman saw the body cam video was during the KMIZ news release. Like you we were just as appalled by what we saw. The actions of the Officer involved are not the values and beliefs of the residents of Sturgeon or the board of Alderman. Currently I have made calls to the Boone County Sheriff to meet and discuss an investigation. The officer involved was placed on leave and will remain on leave until further notice. The board of Alderman will be holding a future special meeting to discuss personnel including Officer Woodson. I personally give my condolences to the owners of Teddy. I know nothing I do now or in the future will bring Teddy back. The board of Aldermen and myself are committed to helping the City of Sturgeon heal.
Seth Truesdell
UPDATE:
The City of Sturgeon received notice from Kevin Abrahamson that he has resigned his position as Mayor and resigned from the City Council effective immediately. Mayor Pro-Tem Seth Truesdell will perform the duties of mayor until such vacancy is filled in accordance with local ordinance and state law.
UPDATE:
The City has reviewed the dispatch report and body camera footage regarding the recent dog at large incident. The City believes that the officer acted within his authority based on the information available to him at the time to protect against possible injury to citizens from what appeared to be an injured, sick, and abandoned dog. The dispatch indicated that the person calling in did not want to be contacted, and had reported that the dog, though not in her view dangerous, was injured, maybe blind, and had mud and dried blood in its fur. The dog’s strange behavior appeared consistent with the dispatch report of an injured or possibly sick dog. In order to better equip officers for future animal at large call outs, the City will be sending all officers to Boone County Animal Control for training and education, in hopes that this unfortunate situation does not occur again.
UPDATE:
On 5/19/2024 at 1717, the Sturgeon Police Department (“SPD”) received a call out for an injured animal at large. An Officer with SPD arrived and located the animal. The SPD Officer immediately noticed the dog was behaving strangely and displaying signs of possible injuries and/or what the officer perceived to be rabid behavior. The SPD Officer also noticed the animal did not have a collar or tags. The SPD Officer made numerous attempts to capture the dog using the catch pole. Based on the behavior exhibited by the dog, believing the dog to be severely injured or infected with rabies, and as the officer feared being bitten and being infected with rabies, the SPD officer felt that his only option was to put the animal down. It was later learned that the animal’s behavior was because the animal was blind. Unfortunately, the animal’s lack of a collar or tags influenced the SPD Officer’s decision to put the animal down due to his belief that the animal was injured, sick and abandoned.