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Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Trainer for slain Wadesboro Police K-9 Blitz countersues former police chief after being accused of defamation
WASDESBORO, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The dog trainer for the Wadesboro Police K-9 killed in April is making counter-claims toward the department after being accused of making defamatory statements towards the interim chief. Joshua Harrington is the Rowan County-based trainer who provided K-9 Blitz in early 2025 to the Wadesboro Police Department at no cost. In court documents, he says Blitz was trained for narcotics and suspect tracking, but was not certified in the apprehension or biting of suspects and should never be deployed in those circumstances, claiming serious injuries would occur. Harrington's June 11 lawsuit claims that, despite knowing what that led to Blitz's killing, then-Interim Police Chief Jason Eschert and Town of Wadesboro Police Department 'took no efforts to take accountability for their mismanagement of the situation and/or negligence that led to K-9 Blitz's death.' Counterclaim_1749751082Download On April, Blitz was allegedly fatally shot by a Wadesboro officer after a police chase into Montgomery County. Harrigton's suit describes statements made by trainer Kayla Wright and another officer on scene that Blitz had secured the suspect by the leg. After being recalled by Wright, the suspect was holding Blitz around the nose, which led to Wright securing the dog, which eventually released the suspect in favor of a toy. During this, Blitz then bit his handler's hand while trying to get the toy. Documents say Wright asked for assistance to remove Blitz and for a sergeant to apply a 'choke-off' technique where the dog eventually released Wright. Wright told her fellow officers that Blitz was not a threat to any of them nor that it was being aggressive. But as Blitz returned to Wright in what is described as a non-aggressive manner, multiple shots were fired, striking Blitz. Harrington says Wright's requests for assistance were ignored, and Blitz died from its injuries. The police department has held that that Blitz was killed by its handler. The suit says that the next day, Harrington met with Eschert to be debriefed on the incident. Eschert allegedly told the trainer that Blitz was turned on Wright and was behaving aggressively. The police chief told Harrington 'that due to the extreme aggressiveness of Blitz, the officers on scene had no choice but to kill Blitz.' Court documents say Officer Cody Teague corroborated Wright's account of what occurred at the scene. The countersuit accuses Eschert of making several false statements about Harrington and Blitz. This includes that Blitz had a history of being aggressive and had been refused by the Virginia State Police because of this; Harrington had improperly trained Blitz; and Blitz could actually be used to apprehend suspects, and Harrington held paperwork that certified this. Harrington also says Eschert, the town of Wadesboro and the police department worked to censor him. The suit claims Eschert made multiple fake social media accounts and 'reported' Harrington's own posts related to the incident for allegedly violating their respective community standards practices. 25CV000248-030-1Download Eschert's suit on April 10 that requests $425,000 in damages, claims Harrington initiated a 'smear campaign' against him, the entire department and other law enforcement officers. Beginning on April 2, Eschert says Harrington made defamatory statements on his Facebook page that accused Blitz of 'being shot and killed by his own allies,' 'the rogue agency lied to me,' Eschert lied to him about what happened and that 'it was untrue that Blitz was Tased.' Eschert's suit says Harrington later targeted the chief's past, making accusations about his tenure at the Oakboro Police Department. Eschert, who had been named interim police chief just two months before the K-9 death, retired May 9 amid controversary surrounding the investigation. He notified town officials that people were allegedly making violent threats against him. Harrington's counter points to the New York Times v. Sullivan Supreme Court case that sets a precedent for defamation. The case says that a public official may not recoup damages if the statements were made without 'actual malice.' The document states that in addition being protected by the truth: 'No statement made and published (Harrington) was made with knowledge that it was false, or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not. To the contrary, all statements made and published by (Harrington) were his opinion, the absolute truth, privileged, fair reporting and commentary, and lacked actual malice.' No charges were brought related to Blitz's death, and the two officers involved have since resigned. In addition to the counterclaims, Harrington also requested a change of venue for the case, to Stanley County. It claims if proceedings took place in Anson County that it would prevent a 'fair and just determination of the matter.' The new suit says Harrington and his company Train Play Live has trained thousands of dogs over his career and has nationally recognized relationships with law enforcement partners across the United States. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Former handler given K-9 Blitz's remains
K9 Blitz's former handler, Kayla Wright, said she received his remains from the Wadesboro Police Department. Wright told Channel 9 she plans to keep his remains above his kennel in her home. She also said she intends to share some of the remains with Virginia State Police. Channel 9 has reported on the ongoing investigation into Blitz's death since early April. The K-9 was killed while officers were working to apprehend a suspect, and two officers have resigned in the wake of the incident. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Wadesboro mourns K-9 officer killed during traffic stop 'Needs to be honored': Community calls for transparency after K-9's death in Wadesboro K-9 killed in Wadesboro removed from service due to aggression, Virginia State Police say ONLY ON 9: Suspect recalls what led up to fatal shooting of K-9 Blitz No charges in K-9 Blitz's death amid resignations and lawsuit Former officer speaks out after K-9 Blitz's death during traffic stop in Wadesboro Wadesboro Police Department posted a message on its Facebook, saying: 'This has been an extremely emotional and difficult time for all of us. I hope in time, we can continue to HONOR this hero, but start to heal as a community. K-9 Blitz's remains were respectfully transferred to his handler, who expressed her wishes for him. In the days ahead I expect her to follow through on those. Let us remember K-9 Blitz, your service will not be forgotten, good boy. Now as you patrol the streets of heaven, you may rest easy, we got it from here. K-9 Blitz, you are 10-42 for the final time.' (VIDEO: Community calls for transparency after K-9's death in Wadesboro)
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
ONLY ON 9: Suspect recalls what led up to fatal shooting of K-9 Blitz
Channel 9 spoke exclusively with the man who was being arrested when Wadesboro police shot and killed K-9 Blitz. Lewis Davis spoke with reporter Gina Esposito from the Anson County jail on Tuesday. He said he wanted to make sure others heard his side of the story. In the early morning hours, Wadesboro police said they tried to stop Davis for a fake tag on US 74, but he sped off, causing a chase to ensue. That chase eventually came to an end in Montgomery County after police blew out Davis' tires. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: K-9 killed in Wadesboro removed from service due to aggression, Virginia State Police say Over the phone, Davis told Esposito that at that moment, he decided to run. 'When they let the dog go on me. I gave up. I submitted. I was like, 'Wait a minute, hold on,'' Davis explained. 'I gave up. I laid down. The more I submitted to it, the more the dog bit me.' Police said K-9 Blitz then 'took down' the suspect. 'The police are telling me, 'Get your hands out of his mouth. Right now. Get your hands out of his mouth.' I'm just trying to pry his hands off of my legs,' David said. In addition to the leg bite, Davis said he had bite wounds on his hands, arms, back, side, and buttocks. 'When I pried him off me, my leg with my hand, he turned on the police. He attacked like three other officers. He bit two of them, and on the third one he was going to bite, they shot him down,' Davis recalled. 'Like, they tased him at first; he didn't stop. They pepper-sprayed him. He didn't stop until they shot him over 17 times.' Wadesboro police said that at least one officer was hurt. However, they have not said why an officer shot and killed K-9 Blitz or if other tactics were used to subdue the dog before shots were fired. Davis questioned why he was charged with assault on a law enforcement agency animal. According to the arrest warrant, Davis was seen 'hitting it around the face.' He also faces a number of other charges related to the traffic stop and chase. 'Needs to be honored': Community calls for transparency after K-9′s death in Wadesboro The Wadesboro police chief said he launched an internal investigation into this incident and is working with the Montgomery County District Attorney. On Tuesday, Virginia State Police told Channel 9 that Blitz was deemed aggressive and removed from his previous program last fall. Blitz was then given to Josh Harrington, who had experience handling those concerns. When Harrington donated Blitz to the Wadesboro Police Department, he said the dog should only be used for narcotics and trafficking. However, Wadesboro police said the department did not know about the aggression issues. VIDEO: K-9 killed in Wadesboro removed from service due to aggression, Virginia State Police say
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Previous owner criticizes role of K-9 killed in line of duty
Channel 9 learned that a K-9 named Blitz was shot and killed by a police officer during a police chase with the Wadesboro Police Department earlier this week. Blitz was a retired drug dog donated to the Wadesboro Police Department by dog breeder Josh Harrington in January. The K-9 was trained in narcotics and tracking, not in apprehension, said Harrington. PAST COVERAGE: Wadesboro mourns K-9 officer killed during traffic stop 'He was sweet,' Harrington said. 'My wife loved him to death. She would go and sit in the kennels with him and play with him.' Blitz joined the department when it was rebooting its K-9 unit. 'They were not interested in bite work,' Harrington said. 'They were not interested in apprehension, and I said, 'Perfect.'' Harrington said Blitz was the perfect fit and was only to be used as a drug and tracking dog. 'Everybody understood that the dog was not to be used in apprehension,' Harrington said. However, Wadesboro police said Blitz and his handler were trying to catch a suspect. Blitz grabbed hold of the suspect, causing injuries. Moments later, Blitz was killed in the line of duty. Channel 9 learned that a Wadesboro police officer was the one who shot Blitz. We are still working to verify what exactly happened in the moments leading up to the K-9′s death. 'Gross negligence from the top to the bottom,' Harrington said. He claims the handler and Blitz were not certified as a team, which is not required in the state but is highly recommended. 'They had the dog for 60-something days,' Harrington said. 'They did not have enough time to even go through a training course.' Harrington remembers Blitz as a stellar dog and companion and wants transparency on what happened. 'I am upset that they tried to pin this on an innocent dog that was put into a situation that he should have never been in,' Harrington said. 'Blitz should have never been put in this situation from the start. Blitz did nothing wrong.' Harrington said Blitz was a successful drug dog at his previous agency in another state, helping to get drugs off the street and saving lives. Channel 9 left two voicemails for Wadesboro Interim Police Chief Jason Eschert and emailed him to try to get his side of things and ask if that handler had any training with Blitz or if there was an investigation into this. As of late Thursday afternoon, we haven't heard back. VIDEO: Wadesboro mourns K-9 officer killed during traffic stop
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Wadesboro mourns K-9 officer killed during traffic stop
The Wadesboro Police Department is mourning the loss of K-9 Blitz, who died during a traffic stop incident that escalated into a chase ending in Mt. Gilead. The incident began when officers stopped a suspect, Lewis Davis Junior the Third, for a fictitious plate near a popular ice cream stand off US74. The situation unexpectedly escalated, leading to a chase over 20 miles away. 'It's very disheartening. I mean K-9s are part of our families as well,' said Jody Miranda, a veterinary technician. 'I can't imagine how the police department is feeling.' ALSO READ: Charlotte-Metro one of the best places to open a small business, recent study finds Police say the suspect sped off during the traffic stop, leading to a chase that concluded when the suspect's tires were blown out in Mt. Gilead. During the apprehension, K-9 Blitz took down the suspect, but was killed in the process, and the dog's handler was injured. The suspect, Lewis Davis Junior the Third, apologized at the scene and is now facing multiple charges, including attempting to run over an officer and assaulting a K-9. Wadesboro Police Chief has never handled the death of a K-9 before and is bringing in a chaplain to help officers cope with the loss. Lewis Davis Junior the Third had his first court appearance today and is being held in Anson County Jail on a $60,000 bond. VIDEO: Deputy injured, K-9 killed after standoff in Lee County, police say
