There is a tragic case out of Panama City Beach, Florida where two dogs died in the case of Jason Matthew Reece, 39. Reece however did not return to his van because police arrested him for disorderly conduct. While Reece still allegedly left the dogs in the van to go drinking, it would raise an interesting defense that the police contributed to the tragedy by taking him directly to jail. It is not clear whether he informed the police of the animals.
Reece’s wife called police after the day after his arrest to inquire about the welfare of the dogs. By the time that they found the dogs, two were dead. Now Reece faces charges of cruelty to animals as well as disturbing the peace.
I’d like to know when the wife was informed of his arrest. She waited to inquire about the dogs until the following day? Is she complicit?
Dollars to donuts, if it turns out that the police should have acted, then no actions will be taken against them.
There are different standards of law enforcement for for civilians and for the “protected”; the prosecutors and judges are the first to bend the laws.
If the animal cruelty charge is not dismissed I do not believe a jury will find him guilty.
The police are just trying to shift blame. He probably told them.
Caveat. If they knew he had a vehicle but then if he had car keys in his pocket their duty was clear as stated above.
It does not matter if he told them or not as once arrested never mind incarcerated the police are 100% responsible for the vehicle and contents. That rule works when you want to search a vehicle without probable cause. So it works in this case and in this case as stated with those elements the police involved from arresting officer to booking and jailing procedures take the fall.
According to the report the van was approximately half a mile from where he was arrested, and he didn’t say anything. Under those circumstances, there wouldn’t be a duty to determine if he had a vehicle or determine whether he was responsible for animals not in his immediate vicinity. Obviously evidence that the report is false would change the analysis.