Brunswick judge rules ex-officer can keep K-9

Bolivia, N.C. — A Brunswick County magistrate ruled Tuesday that a former Navassa police officer doesn't have to return the trained K-9 he handled to the police department.

Kevin Smith resigned from the Navassa Police Department in July after months of threats by Mayor Eulis Willis, whom Smith charged a year earlier with driving while impaired, according to the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association.

Smith had worked for the department for four years and had been the town's only trained K-9 handler. A trainer donated Luci to Navassa on the conditions that the town would cover all medical costs and fees and name Smith as the dog's owner and only handler.

After Smith resigned, the town refused to pay his accrued overtime and vacation time until he returned Luci to the police department, the PBA said in a statement.

Smith's family viewed Luci as the family pet, so he fought the town in civil court and won undisputed ownership of the dog, PBA Executive Director John Midgette said. There was no word on the fight over Smith's pay.

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Y'all should google this town, what an incredible mess - this "incident" is just a small dot in the big picture of its woes. They ought to fire everybody and start all over anew. I hope the Officer sues the town: threats from the Mayor made performance of his job untenable due to hostile work environment, plus it would seem that withholding of his final paycheck until he returned the dog (which was his) is tantamount to extortion.

CarolinianByChoice
November 14, 2012 1:01 p.m.

Small town governments are as corrupt as all get out! The mayor got caught DWI and he and others conspired to get that officer removed and they finally did.

The condition of having the dog was set when the dog was donated and glad the judge did the right thing. It was to the benefit of that dog who had served well. It's a shame the officer lost his job but he is most likely more happy where he is now.

I know people like this on boards in other towns. If the officers don't enforce the law for just the ones the board wants, the officers lives are made a living _ _ _ _. But, karma will one day hopefully catch up to those who do things like this and think they are above the law because they were elected to a position.

They want the law enforced against those they don't like (the town boards, managers, mayors, etc.), but yet don't want it to apply to them or to their families!

topfan4unc
November 14, 2012 12:37 p.m.

Guess he couldn't be bought off, so they went after him....

Just Plain Common Sense
November 14, 2012 8:27 a.m.

The mayor should be impeached. A new election should be called, and the officer restored to full duty, back pay, compensation fornemotionalmabuse and harassment. SHAME on the mayor. POLITICS does not equal (or should not) tyranny.

Just Plain Common Sense
November 14, 2012 8:25 a.m.

The State of NC should look into the threats this mayor made on a Police Officer. And the people of that town should think about removing him from office. The sad part about that is that I have found so many Eastern NC Counties to be very corrupt as well as many of the small towns that are in them. Willing to be the Mayor and Police Cheif are either good friends or related.

twatkinsntp
November 14, 2012 8:06 a.m.