Jury Trial Set for Officer Accused of Abusing K9

A jury trial has been set for the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Deputy accused of assaulting his K-9 partner in Carlton in June. 

Officer Brett Berry will face a jury January 26 on charges of assaulting a public safety dog and animal cruelty.  Berry pleaded not guilty to the charges in August. 

The charges stem from an incident at Black Bear Casino on June 15th. 

Berry was captured on surveillance video grabbing the dog by the collar and slamming it to the ground.

The dog then ran between the two entrance doors of the casino, getting stuck. That’s where police say Berry repeatedly struck the dog.

Five minutes before the incident, Black Bear’s security escorted the officer out of the casino’s bar.   They reported Berry being upset. 

Berry was placed on administrative leave with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office. 

According to the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office facebook page, Boone has been assigned to a new K9 handler within the department. 

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for January 20.