Court: Is Handler Liable for Police Dog that Bit Child?

Georgia’s Supreme Court must decide whether a DeKalb County officer can be sued for damages after a police dog bit the handler’s neighbor.

In 2011, Andor, a DeKalb County police dog, bit a child while he was playing football with his friends in the neighborhood, WSB TV reports. Chandler Key, the victim, was 11 at the time of the incident and needed stitches for the wound.

Key’s family believes Andor’s handler, Officer Lynn Eshleman, is liable for the incident. Her attorney said Eshleman thought the dog’s kennel had been locked, but it wasn’t. The dog ran into the yard where the boy was playing, reports WXIA TV. When Key tried to run away, Andor grabbed his arm and drug him to the ground.

“We have these code sections for a reason, so … children like Chandler don’t get attacked,” Key’s attorney, M. Chase Swanson, told the justices in Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday.

A DeKalb County attorney representing Eshleman argued that her immunity as a police officer should prevent her from facing trial, WSB TV reports.

A court ruling for the case is expected before July.

-- Police dog Andor. Photo screenshot from WSB TV.

Read Also

• Police: Suspect Steals Gun from Car, Owner Pursues
• Georgia Governor Supports Decriminalizing Cannabis Oil
• Target Shoots Robbery Suspect at Sonic Drive-Through