Ok-9 Bane died within the line of obligation. Wichita man who strangled the canine goes to jail
The Wichita man who strangled a sheriff’s office K-9 final yr will serve 29 months in jail for battering a legislation enforcement officer, plus one yr in jail for killing the canine, a spokesman for the Sedgwick County District Lawyer’s Workplace stated.
Kaylon Kirkwood, who pleaded responsible to the felony crimes in Might, should additionally pay a $5,000 nice for killing the Ok-9, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois named Bane, plus $38,379.98 in restitution, which incorporates the price of a brand new police canine and coaching, a Ok-9 ballistic vest and Bane’s necropsy and cremation.
“Restitution was payable to a number of neighborhood entities as a result of the Sheriff’s Workplace obtained donations that coated a few of the gadgets and the restitution is payable to those that donated,” Dan Dillon, the DA’s Workplace spokesman, stated by e-mail.
Kirkwood was sentenced Monday by Sedgwick County District Choose Eric Williams, who additionally handed Kirkwood a three-year jail time period for an unrelated aggravated battery with sexual motivation and interference with legislation enforcement case from 2020.
“All counts had been run consecutive to one another as had been the circumstances. The sentences are the utmost allowed below Kansas legislation,” Dillon stated.
Kirkwood’s public defender had requested the courtroom to condemn him to not more than 27 months, droop the time period and place him on probation for 2 years. She stated in a written movement that Kirkwood by no means meant for Bane to die, accepted duty by pleading responsible and acknowledges that substance abuse and anger points performed a task in his determination making.
Bane, who labored alongside Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Deputy Tyler Brooks, died within the line of obligation on Nov. 16, 2023. Legislation enforcement deployed the canine after Kirkwood ran from officers in search of him in reference to alleged crimes, together with home violence.
Authorities have stated officers noticed Kirkwood whereas they had been patrolling an space in southeast Wichita and he bumped into a close-by creek mattress, then the storm drain.
Legislation enforcement despatched Bane and one other Ok-9 into the drain to attract out Kirkwood. Each canine had been on prolonged leashes on the time, police have stated. The standoff began a couple of minutes earlier than midday and lasted greater than 2 1/2 hours.
Kirkwood “was solely making an attempt to cease the biting and damage to himself,” the general public defender, Bonnie Corrado, wrote within the movement asking for leniency. “Kaylon understands his actions of operating are what led to him being within the place with the K9s and doesn’t reduce his fault within the occasion.”
Police have stated first responders tried to resuscitate Bane for 30 to 40 minutes to no avail.
On the time of his loss of life, Bane was working for the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Workplace however had beforehand been a Wichita Police Division canine. Bane’s former handler, Wichita police Officer Daniel Gumm, died of cancer in 2022. Earlier than Bane, Gumm was the handler for K-9 Rooster, who was fatally shot throughout a name in 2017.
The opposite Ok-9 deployed into the storm drain on Nov. 16 wasn’t damage.
Bane was deployed a complete of 583 occasions, apprehended 127 suspects and seized 88 1/2 kilos of marijuana, 58 1/2 kilos of methamphetamine, half a pound of fentanyl, 37 grams of cocaine, 43 grams of heroin, 30 firearms and $16,339 in U.S. forex throughout his profession, the sheriff’s workplace has stated. He began working as a Ok-9 in 2017.
His loss of life led Kansas legislators to go a invoice looking for to extend the legal penalties for harming or killing police animals. Gov. Laura Kelly eventually vetoed the laws as a result of she disagreed with its harsher sentencing necessities.
‘Pretty special dog’: Deputy handler remembers K-9 Bane, who was killed in the line of duty
K-9 Bane dies after following wanted Wichita man into storm drain, police say
Why Gov. Kelly vetoed bill increasing penalties for killing or harming police animals
