A 43-year-old Victoria man found guilty of assaulting a K9 Police Service dog in 2016 has been sentenced to two years in prison and three years of probation.
VicPD K9 PSD Uno is retired now, but was an active member of the Victoria Police Department back in July 2016 when the assault occurred.
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He was assisting his fellow officers in the capture of a suspect who had baggies of cocaine and heroin, and had fled from police while being apprehended.
Along with other VicPD officers (both human and K9), Uno followed the suspect to a hotel in the 400-block of Quebec Street. While they were approaching his room, they were ambushed by the suspect and his companion in the hallway.
The two began to fight the officers, and when PSD Uno was released to assist, they struck him in the head and face multiple times.
After a month of recovery, the K9 officer was able to return to his duties.
On October 26th 2018, 43-year-old Monte Edward Darcy Tucker was convicted for charges of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, dangerous driving, obstruction of a police officer and the assaults on PSD Uno.
The two year prison and three year probation sentence reflects not only his attack on PSD Uno, but also the other aforementioned charges.
Thanks to Quanto’s Law
Tucker’s sentencing for the assault on Uno is a first for Greater Victoria, and was made possible thanks to the Justice for Animals in Service Act, or “Quanto’s Law”, which makes it a criminal offence to cause harm, suffering, or death to law enforcement, military, and service animals.
The law was inspired by Edmonton Police Service dog, Quanto, who was killed on the job in 2013 after four years of service and over 100 arrests to his name.
“Quanto’s law helps protect our K9 partners, who so often put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public and us, their human partners,” VicPD K9 A/Sgt. Calvin Ewer said in a statement earlier this year.
“This conviction shows that harming a K9 has serious consequences.”
