The Rowan County District Attorney’s Office just announced its decision not to bring charges against James Hampton, the former officer who came under fire last month when video surfaced showing him manhandling the hell out of Zuul, the police dog with which he was partnered.
The D.A. says a review of the incident didn’t turn up enough evidence to warrant criminal charges, but they admit the optics for Hampton don’t look great. In fact, the D.A. added that while the video might show a “bad act,” and a controversial one that violates police procedures … that doesn’t mean they had sufficient evidence of a crime.
During its investigation, the D.A.’s Office interviewed Hampton’s fellow officers, who said Zuul was disciplined incorrectly, but they didn’t believe Hampton acted with malice or bad intent — despite the video evidence.
The D.A. also says Hampton’s former supervisor said he loved his previous K-9s, and paid thousands out of his own pocket for veterinary bills.
As we reported … Hampton ended up resigning after the video came out, but it seems his fellow officers didn’t want to cross the thin blue line.
