A Tennessee sheriff’s deputy is facing criminal charges and has reportedly quit his job after fatally shooting seven dogs whose welfare he was assigned to monitor.
Connor Brackin, 24, was on duty for the McNairy County Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 4 when he was assigned to a home in Bethel Springs to check on the condition of some dogs there, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) said ) in a recent publication. statement.
The TBI said Brackin arrived and released one of the dogs to the person who called and asked to check on the animals’ welfare, but the reasons for doing so were not made clear. For reasons still under investigation, Bracken then began firing his service weapon and shooting seven dogs on the property, the TBI alleged.
Local prosecutors asked the TBI on November 7 to investigate the animals’ murder. And on Tuesday, investigators obtained a warrant to arrest Brackin on seven counts of aggravated animal cruelty and eight counts of reckless endangerment.
Brackin then turned himself over to authorities at the jail operated by the sheriff’s office where he was employed, and he was booked. He was later released pending the resolution of the charges pending against him.
In Tennessee, aggravated animal cruelty and reckless endangerment each carry a prison sentence of one to six years.
USA Today reported Friday that Brackin had resigned from the McNairy sheriff’s office, citing information from the agency. He had worked at the sheriff’s office for almost a month before his departure, according to the newspaper.
The Guardian left a message seeking comment on a phone number associated with Brackin and available on a public records database. The message was not immediately returned.
Bethel Springs is located about 100 miles (161 kilometers) east of Memphis. According to the 2020 census, the country has fewer than 750 inhabitants.
