By Rhonda Cook For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Humane Society added $5,000 to the reward fund for information that leads to the arrest of the person who shot and killed a Griffin Police Department German Shepherd and then dumped the dog in a ditch beside a Lamar County Road.
The dog’s handler, Griffin police Cpl. Chad Moxon, and his family had already put up $1,000 so the reward now stands at $6,000 with the Humane Society’s offering.
After getting home from the firing range on Monday, Moxon discovered Jimi and his dog Yeager missing from their kennel at his house on a dirt road in Lamar County.
“The gate looked like it had been tampered with, and there were tire tracks leading up to the gate, going across my back yard,” Moxon said Friday. “I can’t say for 100 percent that someone came in there and took the dogs, but I do believe that’s what happened. ”
Moxon said he searched all Monday night and most of Tuesday night for the German Shepherds. He handed out about 300 flyers and followed up on several false alarms from people who thought they had spotted them.
Moxon got a call Wednesday morning that Jimi may have been found in a ditch on Rock Quarry Road near the Monroe County line. Moxon said there was little blood at the scene so he suspects the 3-year-old dog was dumped there after he was shot in the side. The vet found buckshot in the wound.
“I just sat down in the ditch for the next 30 minutes. I didn’t have the energy to get him out,” Moxon said.
Shortly after he got home a neighbor called with the news that Yeager was in his yard.
“I almost didn’t recognize him,” Moxon said. “He was badly beaten.
“Hes still at home recovering,” Moxon said of his 2-year-old dog, also a German Shepherd. ” I’m hoping he’ll recover in the next few days.”
Jimi was a “multi purpose” dog, trained at detecting drugs and explosives and tracking people. It’s a common practice for police handlers to take their assigned dogs home even though they belong to the departments.
“This is the first time I’ve come to work without him in two years,” Moxon said.
Anyone with information should call Lamar County Sheriff’s Office at 770-358-5159 or 770-358-8881.
These dogs were obviously involved in a recent case with their attackers. Look Harder!
Unbelievable! The person or persons responsible for such a horrendous act should br put away for a long time without parole. These dogs are special to me and very dear to my heart..Find these. Animals.
When did this actually happen? Also did Yeager recover alright? My heart goes out to the handler and the rest of the family. Yes I would think it was related to a case, I hope after all this time they found the jerks that did this.