ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.,None — Shocking allegations were revealed on Wednesday against the Orange County Sheriff's Office and its K-9 unit. WFTV has learned deputies are being accused of commanding their dogs to attack innocent people.
At least one person has filed a lawsuit saying a deputy K-9 attacked him, and other people have filed complaints.
The lawsuit claims the then 17-year-old was walking down the street when a police dog bit him and broke his arm.
The teen was not arrested, and his mother said her son just happened to be in the area. The teen tried to get away by jumping onto the hood of a deputy's car, but the dog pulled him off of it.
Now, the FBI is looking at several cases that involve K-9 attacks.
Barbara Archibald's son, Niko Herbert, was in the hospital for eight days after she said a dog attacked him in 2008. Herbert said he is now suing the sheriff's office.
Deputies said they were looking for a burglary suspect and thought Herbert was their guy. He was 17 at the time and happened to be walking down the street. According to Herbert's attorney, a deputy pulled over and released his dog.
"They took him to Health Central by car. I didn't even know he was there until the doctor called and said he needed a signature to operate," said Archibald.
Attorney Thom Luka said he does not believe the deputies are controlling their dogs and said the dogs are not being used properly.
"We are seeing an ongoing pattern of them getting off their leashes, therefore uncontrolled by handlers," said Luka.
Herbert was not arrested for the burglary, and the real suspect, Marquis White, ended up begin charged.
Herbert's mother said her son was not resisting and he did not deserve to be attacked.
"The officer commanded him to continue to bite while he was down. You know that was not right," said Archibald.
WFTV looked into the Orange County Sheriff's Office policy regarding K-9s, and it does not clearly state when a dog should be taken off a leash. But it states dogs should not be used to arrest suspects who are not resisting, or to intimidate or frighten a suspect or someone who doesn't pose a threat.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office said it cannot comment on federal investigations, but a spokesperson said the office is cooperating.
The FBI said it does not comment on pending investigations.
On the Orange County Sheriff's K-9 Unit, 24 German shepherds are serving on that unit, along with two bloodhounds. They employ 18 full-time deputy handlers, WFTV learned.
WFTV
