By Pat Culverhouse

A Cullen police officer shown on video shooting a dog and pointing his handgun at the dog’s owner has been arrested by Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office investigators.

Sheriff Jason Parker said Reginald Ferguson was picked up Tuesday morning at his home, questioned by detectives and taken to Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center. Ferguson currently is charged with illegal use of a weapon and is looking at a $25,000 bond.

Parker said Ferguson was working as a non-certified officer for Cullen Chief of Police Fannie Franklin. 

“As we understand, he is not currently POST certified and was using his own equipment. All Cullen had provided him was the police unit he was driving,” Parker said.

This isn’t Ferguson’s first brush with the Sheriff’s Department. He was charged nearly a year ago with eight counts of cruelty to animals when horses and donkeys in horrible condition and two dead horses were found on his property in Cotton Valley.

At the time his arrest, he was employed as a patrol officer by the Cotton Valley Police Department. He was terminated following his arrest.

According to Parker, Ferguson stopped at the home of Cullen resident Dashanna Wortham Sunday morning. Parker said there is no record of Ferguson being dispatched to the residence.

A video of the incident, recorded by Wortham, shows Ferguson pointing his gun toward the dog over a fence in the yard. When the animal comes from the yard, he is barking at Ferguson and is between the officer and Wortham.

Ferguson shouts commands, then shoots into the ground near the animal. He then fired a second shot, striking the animal in the leg. Film shows Ferguson pointing his weapon at Wortham, who claims the dog was roughly four feet in front of her when he was shot.

Parker said the dog, Tank, is being treated at a veterinary hospital in Springhill. The bullet reportedly shattered the bone in the dog’s leg, and the leg will most likely have to be amputated.

Parker said he discussed the situation Tuesday morning with Chief Rankin. 

“We are mainly interested in how and why he was hired,” Parker said. “We’re still looking into the situation. There could be more charges filed.”

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.