"According to the suit, filed yesterday in federal court, Parker had been a gentle, loving dog ever since he was rescued by Bryan Pennington eight years ago. On August 27 of this year, a storm rocked the Pennington home and Parker wandered off, showing up on the doorstep of a woman named Hillary Mayberry. Mayberry posted on Facebook trying to locate Parker's owner and called the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department.
Deputy Roger Seal arrived and put Parker in his patrol vehicle. Seal then allegedly took the dog to the Otter Slough Conservation Area, allowed it to run around briefly and then shot it once. Parker did not die immediately. Eight minutes later, Seal shot the dog again and threw its body in a ditch. According to the suit, killing dogs in such a manner is "the standard operating practice and procedure" of the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department. The suit alleges the department does this routinely without conducting any due diligence or concern for the condition of the animal and without notifying the dogs' owners.
Oliver says the Penningtons are suing for $5 million as well as "to make sure that nobody else's dog is executed in a remote area and thrown in a ditch by people who are funded with our taxpayer dollars."