This is just a
horrible story. Fours years is not enough.
From the
San Diego Tribune:
VISTA – A man who
took an Oceanside police dog to his death when he fell from the San
Diego-Coronado Bridge in 2007 was sentenced Wednesday to three years,
eight months in prison.
Cory Nathaniel Byron of Vista pleaded
guilty in Superior Court last September to a felony charge of driving
under influence and evading police.
Before learning
his fate, a remorseful Byron said he had been drinking that day and
decided to end his life. He told Judge Joel Pressman he was focused on
jumping off the bridge and didn't realize the dog fell with him.
“I've learned from
my mistakes, I believe,” Byron, 28, told the court.
Oceanside police
officer Kedrick Sadler spotted Byron's pickup weaving through traffic on
state Route 76 on Dec. 31, 2007. When Sadler tried to pull him over,
Byron refused to yield. The pickup struck another vehicle on SR-76,
injuring three women.
Byron continued to
Interstate 5, heading south into San Diego and ultimately onto the
bridge, with Sadler still in pursuit. When Byron stopped and got out of
the truck on the bridge at mid-span, Sadler released his canine partner,
Stryker, who knocked Byron down.
Byron got up and
climbed onto the rail as Stryker went after him again. Both tumbled over
the side and fell into San Diego Bay, some 200 feet below.
He survived the
fall and was plucked from the bay by Harbor Police. Stryker was killed.
Defense attorney
Anthony Solare said his client never meant to harm the dog and only
learned after the incident that Stryker had fallen off the bridge along
with him.
Byron, who has been in
jail since the fall, could be released as early as the end of 2009.
The lawyer's spin only puts salt in the wound.
Bottom line counselor, the police dog is dead as a direct result of
the the actions of your client.
And it looks like California uses the same funny math when it comes
to sentencing.
NJLawman.com
Police and Law Enforcement News
Thursday, February 19, 2009 11:50 a.m.
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Your Comments
The end result was a police canine died because of this man's selfish
actions. The canine deserves justice and this man should get a
sentence that mirrors what he did. What he did was take an innocent
life.
-Patrolman Jason Gorto Bradley Beach NJ Police
He was out of control. Fleeing from police while DWI. Then he decides to
try and end his life taking an Officer with him. If the human officer
had been wrestling with the suspect instead of the k-9 officer would the
excuse "I was so focused on jumping" fly? Absolutely not. While equal
protection under the law might not be possible, it should certainly be
much greater then it currently is. What would the sentence be if it was
the human officer pulled over the edge?
