Maryland Couple Awarded Damages in Shooting of Dog

A Frederick County Circuit Court jury has awarded $620,000 in damages to a Taneytown, Md., couple whose dog was shot by a sheriff’s deputy.

The Frederick News-Post reports that plaintiffs’ attorney Rebekah Lusk said the jury returned a verdict Monday in favor of Roger and Sandi Jenkins. It found that deputy Timothy Brooks violated the couple’s rights when he shot their chocolate Labrador retriever, Brandi, in January 2010.

The jury also found that Brooks and deputy Nathan Rector violated the couple’s rights by entering their home without permission.

Brooks called the jury’s decision “outrageous and ridiculous.” He says he wasn’t able to fully explain during the trial why the dog’s actions caused him to shoot.

The deputies had gone to the Jenkins’ home with a civil warrant for a juvenile.