Correction Officer Who Died After Being Choked At Bar Honored

LONG ISLAND, NY — A new K-9 unit will be named in memory of a correction officer who died in 2008 after being choked to death at a Southampton bar, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon said.

On Saturday at 10 a.m., Toulon and other members of his staff will honor correction officer Andrew Reister; Reister's wife Stacey and her children will also attend the ceremony, where a K-9 unit will be named "Reis" to honor his legacy.

K-9 Reis is a two-year-old dark brindle-colored Dutch Shepherd from the Netherlands.

"He is a high-drive, strong-willed dog who exhibits a uniquely high level of courage," a release said.

Reister died in 2008 after he was choked to death while working a sheriff’s-office sanctioned off-duty security job at the Southampton Publick House in Southampton, Toulon said.

After Reister confronted an intoxicated patron, Anthony Oddone, who was dancing on a table at the restaurant, Oddone jumped on Reister, 40, knocking him down, Toulon said.

He then grabbed Reister’s neck and choked him until he was unconscious; Reister suffered brain damage and died two days later, Toulon said.

Ododone pleaded guilty in 2014 to the charge of manslaughter in the first degree, after his first conviction was overturned, according to former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota at the time.

Spota said Reister's family wanted to be spared the trauma of a second jury trial, and their wishes were the primary factor in the decision to accept Oddone's guilty plea, he added.

In overturning the conviction, the Court of Appeals ruled that Oddone's attorney should have been allowed to challenge the recollection of a witness regarding the length of the chokehold, Spota said.

Reister was formally declared brain dead on August 9, 2008, two days after the fight, Spota said.

The sheriff’s office has a total of six canine teams: three for the police division and three for the correction division, Toulon said. The dogs are bred in Europe before they are purchased and flown to the United States by a third-party vendor, Toulon said.

The dogs receive their police-specific training in the United States with sheriff’s office trainers; the dogs and their handlers spend six to 10 weeks in Columbus, Ohio, for their basic certifications Toulon said.

K-9 Reis is certified in scent detection, narcotics detection, criminal apprehension, and handler protection; the K-9 and his handler conduct weekly in-service training for the length of Reis’ service to maintain New York State standards, Toulon said.

Sheriff’s office canines have an average service length of about eight years; they retire at the age of nine or 10 and they live out the remainder of their lives at home with their handlers and family.