Police officer accused of using pepper spray, stun gun on dog

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — An Oklahoma police officer is accused of using pepper spray and a stun gun on a dog that jumped into his patrol car, according to court records.

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William Roy Golden, 31, and officer with the Broken Arrow Police Department, is facing a felony charge of animal cruelty and a misdemeanor charge of “acts resulting in gross injury/outraging public decency, the Tulsa World and the Broken Arrow Sentinel reported.

Golden is on administrative leave until the Wagoner County District Attorney’s Office ends its investigation, according to KJRH-TV.

The sheriff’s office opened an investigation earlier this month after a video showed an officer, later identified as Golden, using his police-issued weapons on a dog that jumped into his vehicle in his driveway on Aug. 29, according to the television station. The dog reportedly belonged to a neighbor, KJRH reported.

Witnesses reportedly said the 4-year-old English bulldog, named Rusty, was struck and kicked, the World reported. The animal also was allegedly subjected to pepper spray and a stun gun, according to a probable cause affidavit. Golden then allegedly drew his service firearm and pointed it at the dog, the newspaper reported.

According to the affidavit, Golden allegedly used a stun gun eight times on the 50-pound animal, sprayed him and struck the dog on his head, the Sentinel reported.

In an interview with detectives, Golden allegedly said he was “angry and frustrated” but did not know why he pointed his gun at the animal, according to the World.

“The allegations are serious, and we are committed to fully cooperating with the District Attorney’s Office,” Broken Arrow Police Department spokesperson Ethan Hutchins said in a news release Friday.

Arianna Ruiz, who owns the bulldog, told KTUL-TV that the dog accidentally escaped from their yard for the first time.

“(Golden) could’ve gone inside, called animal control,” Ruiz told the television station. “He is a police officer.”

Scott Wood, an attorney who was recently representing Golden, could not be reached for comment Friday, the Sentinel reported. Wood told KTUL earlier this month that he would argue that Golden’s use of force was reasonable in this situation, and the video clips shown on social media “lacked crucial context.”

“I do know that under the Broken Arrow use of force policy, any force has to be reasonable under the circumstances,” Wood told the television station. “And basically, what I’m going to argue is that the force that was used was reasonable to use on an animal in a situation like he confronted.”