By Pat Culverhouse

A Sarepta police officer has been arrested in connection with an incident where a dog was shot and killed last month.

Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker said 42-year-old Joe D. Morgan was taken into custody around 3 p.m. Friday following a lengthy investigation. Morgan reportedly is charged with false imprisonment, a misdemeanor, and is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center on a $500 bond.

Parker said Morgan was responding to a complaint of an aggressive animal on May 20 when the dog was killed.

“Sgt. Terry Brown conducted numerous interviews and collected witness statements during the course of his investigation,” Parker said. “We presented the findings to the District Attorney’s office, and they determined the shooting was justifiable.”

But, Parker said, the DA determined the false imprisonment charge was justified because of something Morgan allegedly told one of the dog’s owners.

“We learned the female owner wanted to take the animal to a veterinarian to be treated if possible, but officer Morgan threatened to arrest her if she attempted to leave the scene,” Parker said. “Witnesses verified he did indeed make such a threat.”

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.