An
Anne Arundel County police officer faces animal cruelty charges after a stray
dog was picked up and later euthanized.
Police
said Officer Stephen Harr has been placed on administrative duty, and his wife,
Cheri, also has been charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty.
The
Harrs contacted animal control to claim the Shepherd mix, but authorites would
not release the dog while it was undergoing medical treatment.
It
was determined, police said, that the dog showed signs of "medical issues was believed to be the result
of neglect and the failure to provide the animal with the proper medical
care."
Animal
control took the dog to an animal hospital in Gambrills for treatment and it
underwent surgery on Jan. 3.
The dog, which showed
signs of undernourishment, had been picked up in Lothian after a resident
reported seeing it along Bayard Road in late December.