GCSO investigates its own special deputy who shot a dog she says attacked her

Published 3:10 pm Friday, September 23, 2016

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office investigated an incident this week where one of its sheriff deputies shot a dog she said attacked her.

Canyon City resident Judy Kerr — who was deputized by Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer with a public lands patrol designation May 6, 2014, and with a natural resource committee designation Sept. 29, 2015 — called John Day dispatch at about 6 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, to report she shot a dog that attacked her while she was walking her dog in Canyon City.

The dispatcher relayed the information to Undersheriff Zach Mobley, who reported back to dispatch a few minutes later that he had spoken with Kerr and would follow up when he came on duty.

Kerr told the Eagle two pit bulls came out of a Washington Street residence and aggressively approached her on the street. She said one came at her, while the other circled around her, and she shot the dog approaching her once, causing it to back away.

“I’m just really too old to run, and yes, I defended myself the only way I could at that time,” Kerr said. “I don’t feel I had a choice. My welfare was threatened.”

The owner of the dog, Rick Thomas Taylor, called dispatch at about 8:15 a.m. to report his dog had been shot in the shoulder and was encouraged to seek veterinary care. The dispatcher told him to address his concerns to Undersheriff Zach Mobley when he came on duty.

Taylor called dispatch again at about 11:15 a.m., stating he took his dog to the vet, where it would have to remain overnight, and that the dog was shot while heading away from the shooter.

Taylor told the Eagle Kerr’s dog had been unleashed and came up his driveway onto his property. He said his dogs had gotten out a side door and were not contained by his fenced yard. He said he heard a gunshot and went outside to find one of his dogs wounded and Kerr and her dog gone.

Taylor said his dog survived the gunshot, but he expressed dismay at Kerr’s use of force against his animal.

“You can’t just take the law into your own hands,” he said.

Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer said he did not have any information about the incident, but that the report may not yet be written, and referred further questions to the Grant County District Attorney’s Office.

The district attorney’s office has not confirmed whether it has received any information about the incident.