ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 19, 1997 TAG: 9701200058
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
Two Charlottesville men face charges for allegedly assaulting members of the city's finest - a police dog and a horse.
In separate incidents in October, Elmer Randolph Beach, 41, is accused of choking a 7-year-old police dog, and Avery Fernando Gray Jr., 21, is accused of slugging a police quarterhorse, police said.
Charges against both men were sent Thursday to the city grand jury, which could hand up indictments when it convenes in February.
In each case, the men failed to listen to police orders, officers testified.
Officer Victor Mitchell said Beach choked the dog after it was sent into the man's van to roust him out. Beach refused to get out of the van for sobriety tests, Mitchell said.
Beach was charged with maliciously wounding the dog.
Gray got in trouble when he tried to prevent police from arresting his brother on drug charges, according to officer Matthew Berryman.
Gray slugged the police horse, Otis, above the nose hard enough to swing its head to the right, Berryman said. He said the horse's nose was swollen for several days.
Gray faces a felony charge for assaulting the horse.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Short : 34 linesby CNB