MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A Martinsburg Police officer who gained notoriety when he refused a promotion to stay with his beloved K-9 partner is back in the news over an incident in which he was forced to kill a pit bull.
Police say Officer Craig Phelps shot the pit bull as it charged him and his K-9 partner Argos in an aggressive manner. The incident happened during a drug raid in Martinsburg.
Police were preparing to execute a search warrant on the home when the incident occurred. Animal control officers were removing two pit bulldogs which were inside the home’s fenced in yard. Phelps and Argos were across the street waiting for the removal so they could enter the home and conduct a search for drugs.
Authorities say while in the yard,the two dogs did not act aggressively toward officer. But one of the pit bulls escaped animal control once outside the fence and ran straight at Argos in an aggressive manner. Police say Officer Phelps yelled at the dog to stop and when it did not, pulled his weapon and fatally shot the animal.
Three residents of the home wound up being arrested and charged with drug possession.
Phelps was recently in the news after he agreed to a demotion from sergeant to patrolman after a new policy which would have forced him to give up his role as Argos’ handler.