Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 9, 1993 TAG: 9312090237
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KAREN BARNES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Short
That's exactly what suspended Bedford County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Mayhew says about Gypsy, his 10-year-old black Labrador retriever that's been the department's tracking dog for the last nine years.
"She won't be run anymore because she's my dog and I have no way of transporting her," Mayhew said, soon after losing his patrol car as a condition of his suspension and demotion. "The people will suffer from this. When you call in a tracking dog, time is of the essence. Now they'll have to call in dogs from other places," he said.
Gypsy is the unwitting loser in a months-long investigation into on-duty drinking at the Sheriff's Department. The investigation was sparked by a convicted murderer's asking for a retrial on the grounds that the chief investigator, Steve Rush, was drunk at the crime scene.
Mayhew and Deputy Gary Babb were with Rush the June 1991 night that Clayton Jahue Fore was fatally shot by Beattie Coe. They both testified that they and Rush drank several beers while working undercover at Smith Mountain Lake State Park.
All three received 60-day unpaid suspensions and demotions at the conclusion of Sheriff Carl Wells' internal investigation. Rush and Babb have both started their suspensions, but Mayhew is recovering from back surgery and won't start his until he's released from his doctor's care.
But Gypsy's permanent suspension started immediately.
"She'll now become a family pet instead of a working dog," he said.
by CNB