- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Man arrested for stabbing dog; third dog he allegedly stabbed in four years
CORRECTION: In an initial interview the veterinarian who treated the dog indicated the dog was not altered; however, Middletown Animal Hospital reported on Tuesday that the dog had in fact been neutered. The article has been corrected to reflect that fact.
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A Clearlake Oaks man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly used a large knife to stab a dog he encountered on a morning walk.
Brian Peter Hagan, 73, was arrested shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday, March 10, by Deputy Cynthia Radoumis on felony charges of animal cruelty, making terrorist threats, possessing a dangerous weapon and misdemeanor exhibition of a deadly weapon other than a firearm.
The Saturday incident was the third time Hagan is alleged to have stabbed a dog in the past four years, officials said Monday.
Lake County Animal Care and Control Director Bill Davidson said an on-call animal control officer responded to the scene of the incident in Clearlake Oaks along with Radoumis.
Davidson said that Hagan was walking his dog Saturday morning on Hoover Street when he walked by a house with a loose pit bull.
The pit bull’s owner and Hagan reportedly exchanged words as Hagan passed. Davidson said Hagan then reportedly went on to check his mail and then walk back past the home where the dog was located.
As Hagan was passing the home again Davidson said the pit bull returned “in a threatening manner” to the end of the home’s driveway, standing at the edge of the road.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff said the report on the case indicated that Hagan attached the knife – which was 7 and three-quarter inches long – to the end of a four and a half foot long metal pole he was using as a walking stick. Hagan allegedly used that pole with the knife to stab the dog.
The dog’s owner told the deputy that the dog wasn’t being vicious at the time it was stabbed, Hinchcliff said.
After the dog was stabbed, Hagan and the owner had another exchange, the sheriff’s office responded and Hagan was arrested, Davidson said.
The dog suffered a serious injury and was transported to Middletown Animal Hospital where it was cared for by Dr. Jeff Smith.
Smith told Lake County News that he operated on the dog – an altered male pit bull mix estimated to be about 2 to 3 years old – later that day.
The dog had an 8- to 9-inch gash across the middle of its back that was 2 to 3 inches deep and went down to the spine, Smith said. The spinal cord was not damaged.
“It was a pretty dramatic wound,” Smith said.
He said the dog went home that evening. “It did well with its surgery and it should make a recovery.”
Smith said the dog was “somewhat aggressive” and vocal while at the vet hospital.
Davidson said Hagan was involved in two previous, similar cases that involved him stabbing dogs, claiming self-defense both times.
In the first instance, in 2008, Hagan stabbed a dog in a case that was filed with the District Attorney’s Office but ultimately dismissed because the dog had been ruled aggressive, Davidson said.
The second case occurred about a year and a half ago, according to Davidson.
In the second instance, the dog was loose and animal control officials didn’t send the case to the District Attorney’s Office. “That decision was ours,” Davidson said.
He added, “This time the deputies felt there was enough to file on.”
Hagan is reportedly a convicted felon who can’t carry firearms, so he keeps a knife with him, according to the animal control report.
Hinchcliff has charged Hagan with felony animal abuse, felony threats against the dog’s owner and a misdemeanor charge for brandishing the knife at the dog’s owner.
He’s also asked for followup investigation, including photographs of the scene and the street where Hagan was walking, in part to determine if Hagan had the option to walk a different way when returning from checking his mail.
Hinchcliff indicated he’s also going to review the 2008 dog stabbing case that was dismissed against Hagan in order to find out the particulars of that incident.
Hagan remained in custody in the Lake County Jail on Monday, with bail set at $15,000, according to jail records.
Hinchcliff said Hagan is due to be arraigned at 1:15 p.m. Tuesday in Lake County Superior Court.
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