Talmika Bates, then 24, was suspected of shoplifting and hiding from officers in a set of bushes when police sicced a German Shepherd on her. The dog bit into her scalp and skull as she cried for help, according to a lawsuit Bates later filed against Ryan Rezentes, the dog's handler in the city's police department.
By the time the canine released her, bone and tissue were visible through Bates's torn scalp, the lawsuit said. Bates, who was later convicted of misdemeanor theft and resisting peace officers, sued Rezentes in federal court in 2022 alleging an excessive use of force.
Brentwood police chief Timothy Herbert said in a statement that the city settled the case to avoid further litigation and appeal costs. Rezentes is retired and the city does not currently use police dogs, he added.
Pointer said, ‘A woman who was unarmed, [later found] guilty of shoplifting, got her whole scalp torn off. The punishment does not fit the crime.’
Collection
[
|
...
]