EDMONDS — A longtime police dog with a reputation for biting innocent people was euthanized last night.
Nico, an 8-year-old German shepherd, was removed from its handler Oct. 24 and quarantined by the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. On Oct. 23, the dog had escaped from a backyard kennel at Edmonds Police Officer Linda Binkley's house in Marysville and attacked a jogger, said Snohomish County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen. Binkley was not home at the time and is not being disciplined, Edmonds Police Chief David Stern said.
Jorgensen said the female jogger sustained substantial injuries to her legs, shoulder and back. The jogger was the fifth person Nico had bitten disobediently since 1997. Stern said yesterday that he decided to euthanize Nico after the dog's veterinarian said the animal was likely to continue to attack innocent victims.
Jorgensen said Nico's routine quarantine ended last night. The dog was euthanized afterward.
Joe Bennett, an attorney representing two of the five dog-bite victims, has filed claims with the city of Edmonds disclosing his intention to file civil lawsuits on behalf of his clients.
When Bennett heard that Nico was being destroyed, he angrily said that the dog was "erratic" and the department should have addressed its biting well before the most recent attack.
Stern said yesterday he could not respond to Bennett's complaint because the incidents are likely to be the subject of legal action.
In April 1997, Nico bit a 10-year-old girl outside Binkley's former Everett home after the officer briefly left the dog unsupervised, according to an Everett police report. In January 2000, Nico bit Lynnwood police Officer Al Correa's leg instead of a fleeing suspect. Binkley and Nico had been called in to help Correa.
Bennett said that in April 2000, Nico bit a 15-year-old Marysville girl in the thigh as she was walking through Binkley's new neighborhood in Marysville. Binkley was with the dog in her front yard at the time. The girl, who is now 19, has filed a claim with the city saying she intends to sue.
In March 2001, Nico bit Edmonds Community College student Adam Taylor 10 times in his legs as he tried to turn in a term paper. Taylor, who suffered permanent scarring, had no idea police were doing a training exercise on campus, Bennett said. Taylor filed a claim with the city at the end of 2001.
"These were accidents waiting to happen," Bennett said.
Monroe police Sgt. Eduardo "Ed" Jany said yesterday that he and his police dog, Chico, have trained with Nico and Binkley.
"I've never seen anything that would send up a red flag with that dog," Jany said.
Jennifer Sullivan: 425-783-0604 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com
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