A police officer forced Joe Goodwin to do the unthinkable. After shooting his dog, the officer made Joe remove the dog’s head with a small knife. The situation left him with a considerable amount of distress. He and his girlfriend are now suing the officers involved with the situation.
Suing. Joe Goodwin and his girlfriend are suing the police officers and Sheriff’s office investigator responsible for shooting his dog and then making him remove the dog’s head. He had filmed the entire confrontation and posted it online.
Bite. In early December two Georgia police officers showed up to Joe’s house to investigate a report they had received. One of his neighbors told police that they had been bit by his dog. Joe had been at work when he received a phone call from his girlfriend, Natasha Dakon.
Shot. She was distraught because the police had shown up to their home and shot their dog. He rushed home to find his dog laying dead on the couple’s front lawn. The officers claimed that they had to shoot the dog because he had lunged at one of them.
Beloved Family Pet. Big Boy, a pit bull mix, was just 2 years old and a beloved family pet. He got along well with Natasha’s 3 kids and never had any problems before.
Rabies. The police began to tell Joe that they needed the dogs head to test if he had rabies. Joe assured them the dog was completely vaccinated and didn’t have rabies.
Recording. Joe began to record the confrontation with his phone. One of the officers, James Hollis who works a Crawford County Sheriff's Office investigator, began to make horrifying demands of Joe.
Demands. Hollis demanded Joe take the dog to the vet to have the dog’s head removed or he’d have to do it himself. They needed to bring the head to the health department to test for rabies. He threatened to throw Joe in jail if he didn’t comply.
Threats. Joe refused, he was unable to afford the costly vet bill with the upcoming Christmas holiday and he didn’t want to do it himself. “I will take you to jail and charge you,” Hollis threatened. Joe asked what they would be charging him with, one of the officers told him “you can be charged with disorderly conduct.”
Process. Hollis was becoming increasingly agitated by Joe recording him and refusing his orders. “'I ain't got a ... knife to cut the head off,” Joe told him, bewildered. The other officer told him he wasn’t quite sure of how the process worked for this kind of situation.
Traumatic. A clip from the video showed the police slamming Joe on the hood of a car for refusing. He eventually relented and asked his girlfriend to bring him a knife from the kitchen. He posted the decapitation video on Facebook and commented, “This was very traumatic for the kids and I.”
Freezer. The couple was then required to store the head in their freezer until they left to meet the officer’s at the lab to have it tested. Natasha sobbed the entire drive to the health department, their deceased dog’s head in their car. The results of the test proved that the dog did not have rabies.
Unheard Of. It is completely unheard of to have a pet owner remove their own pet’s head for the test. It is not only incredibly traumatizing but it also puts the owner at risk if the animal does have rabies.
Investigation. The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into Hollis and the other officers’ actions. Joe began his plans to press charges against the police. In January they filed their lawsuit.
Emotional Distress. The lawsuit states, “Under extreme emotional duress and distress, and under threat of incarceration and physical harm, Plaintiff Goodwin was forced to decapitate the dog with a knife.” Joe was left so stressed by the situation he lost his job.
Compensation. Since the investigation began, Hollis was placed on administrative leave. The other officer resigned from his position in mid-January. Joe and Natasha are asking to be compensated for their pain and suffering, suing the officers for $75,000.