Rochelle Ritchie
SILVER SPRING, Md. (WJZ) — A shocking case of animal cruelty
out of Montgomery County, where a Baltimore City cop is accused of choking his
girlfriend’s dog to death.
Rochelle Ritchie has more.
The officer–a five-year veteran with the force–is suspended
without pay after beating the dog with a mop and strangling it to death.
For five years, Baltimore City police officer Alec Eugene
Taylor has protected and served the city of Baltimore–until now. He is charged
with animal cruelty and abuse.
According to Montgomery County Police, Taylor, 27, killed
his girlfriend’s 7-month-old Jack Russell Terrier, named Rocko, for relieving
himself on the carpet of their Silver Spring apartment.
“I think he should be put in jail for a long time,” said one
man.
Taylor tells investigators he used a mop not only to
retrieve the dog from behind the dryer but as a weapon to beat the helpless
animal before using his bare hands to choke the dog to death.
Montgomery County Police say the Baltimore City cop then
took a picture of the dead dog and actually sent it to his girlfriend before
dumping the pup in a dumpster.
“I think that is really sad because I love animals, mostly
dogs, because dogs are my favorite,” said one person.
In a statement, Baltimore City police officials say,
“Allegations of animal cruelty are taken seriously by the Baltimore police
department. Significant emphasis has been placed on training investigators to
handle animal abuse incidents in Baltimore.”
Investigators say Taylor told his girlfriend he was sick of
cleaning up after the dog.
Taylor turned himself into police on Wednesday.
At the request of his girlfriend, Taylor retrieved the dog
from the dumpster and she buried it in a park.
