Man allowed to bark at dog.

The 4th Ohio District Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of charges against a man who answered the barks of Pepsie in the southeast Ohio city of Athens in September 2001.
Jeremy Gilchrist, then 21, encountered the dog, which was in a police car, as he walked along a street with friends. [...]
State law makes it illegal to taunt, torment or hit a police dog or horse. Officer Krishea Osborne testified that Gilchrist's barking made the dog "work himself up into a frenzy".
However, Athens County Municipal Judge Douglas Bennett threw out the charges last June, saying the law violated the right to free speech. The appeals court agreed on Thursday.

posted by James Russell | 4:03 PM