Animal Cruelty Case against VA Officer Dismissed - NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Weather

Animal Cruelty Case against VA Officer Dismissed

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HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) - An animal cruelty charge against a Harrisonburg police officer accused of beating a cat to death has been dismissed.

Media outlets report that a special prosecutor dismissed the misdemeanor charge Monday on appeal.

Jonathan Snoddy was charged in January after a resident told investigators that the officer beat the cat with a baton. The resident said he took the cat home on Nov. 11, 2011, after a car hit the animal and called Harrisonburg authorities.

Snoddy was convicted of animal cruelty in March following a bench trial. He appealed the conviction.

Page County Commonwealth's Attorney Ken Alger said Monday that the incident was more a case of misinformation and sensationalism instead of a crime.

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Harrisonburg Police Department
News Release

Statement by Chief of Police Stephen Monticelli

July 30, 2012

The following statement was issued today by Chief of Police Stephen Monticelli:

I am pleased that the case involving Officer Jonathan Snoddy has been resolved by the courts. I understand that this has been a painful issue for all of us, both people in the community and within our own department. It also has been a significant learning experience.  And while it is closed in the courts, I want everyone to know that the Harrisonburg Police Department has been-and will continue-working to improve how we deal with matters of this nature.

I want to report to the community what we are doing to address issues that came to light. Please keep in mind that the type of situation that Officer Snoddy faced occurs very rarely, so none of our patrol officers has a wealth of experience to fall back on. So we have focused our
efforts in recent months on three areas:

• Policies and guidelines. We recognize that our policies and guidelines for dealing with animal cases need to be improved. They have been thoroughly reviewed and are being revised so they offer clear direction for all our officers.
  
  
• Training. When our policies for dealing with injured animals have been finalized all officers will be thoroughly trained so they understand them and can respond appropriately when their services are requested by our citizens.
  
  
• Resources. Clearly, there are in our community organizations and resources that are more knowledgeable and better equipped to deal with injured animal cases. The Harrisonburg Police Department is reaching out to them to establish a collaborative effort aimed at improving training, response and resolution of injured animal cases.

Recognizing that mistakes have been made, I want to assure the community that their police department is fully committed to providing the highest level of professional public safety service and that the progress I am reporting today represents our continuing commitment to that goal.

Finally, I want to say that Officer Snoddy is a valued member of the Harrisonburg Police Department. He has been a good public servant and continues to serve this community well. He has my trust and confidence as we move beyond this incident.