Ozaukee County DA declines criminal charges, issues forfeiture for former officer in dog shooting
CBS 58 THIENSVILLE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A former Thiensville police officer faces a forfeiture charge, rather than a criminal conviction, after allegedly shooting a stray dog multiple times while it lay wounded on the ground in Mequon, according to a criminal complaint out of Ozaukee County Circuit Court.
An active officer at the time, 47-year-old Richard McCormick was on duty at around 3:40 a.m. on Thursday, April 23 when he encountered two stray dogs near N. Cedarburg Road and Green Bay Road.
According to body camera and squad footage cited by the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office, McCormick retreated behind his vehicle and fired at the darker dog as it approached. After the animal fell wounded in the roadway roughly 26 feet away, McCormick loaded a new magazine and fired several additional rounds while the dog whimpered on the ground.
District Attorney Benjamin Lindsay said in a Wednesday, Aug. 5 memo that prosecutors cannot disprove self-defense regarding McCormick's initial shots, noting another Mequon officer previously drew a weapon on the aggressive animal.
However, Lindsay said continuing to fire after reloading while the wounded dog lay incapacitated violated state animal mistreatment laws, though criminal penalties were declined.
