A city police officer was charged with a minor offense and fined $160 after his dog attacked neighborhood chickens.
According to court documents, Officer Ryan Hanis’ Labrador-retriever mix chased a neighbor’s chickens on the 600 block of Main Street in May. The dog escaped from the yard after one of Hanis’ children let the dog out.
District Court Judge Kevin Miller found that the dog’s actions qualified as a molestation of an animal, a violation of borough code. As the dog’s owner, Hanis was held responsible.
A call seeking comment from the Ketchikan Police Department wasn’t returned by deadline Tuesday.
Editor’s note: Some listeners have questioned why KRBD chose to run this story. This kind of minor offense is not something we normally would report, but because it involves a police officer, a public official whose job is to uphold the law, we felt it warranted coverage. We understand not everyone will agree with this decision.
