Nine years in state prison was the sentence handed down on June 8 for a man who stabbed a police dog in the Midway District which includes three years for stabbing another police dog before.

Two San Diego Police officers testified at the sentencing of Dedrick Daknell Jones, 37, about their experiences with Jones as he threatened officers and both dogs with knives.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Dwayne Moring ordered Jones to pay $3,283.70 for medical expenses for injuring Hondo, the police dog he stabbed twice on Dec. 17, 2021, in the 3700 block of Riley Street.

Additionally, Moring ordered Jones to pay $9,877.65 for medical expenses for Titan, who was more severely injured and lost 6-8 inches of his colon in surgery following a stabbing by Jones in January 2021.

Titan also needed more than 100 stitches following his operation. Titan died a few months ago, said Deputy District Attorney Clay Biddle, who added it was not directly related to the stabbing.

Officer Patricia Oseguera told the judge she saw Jones wave a knife at officers as he backed up against moving traffic on Rosecrans Street.

“I was trying every possibility to de-escalate the situation,” said Oseguera. “His intention was to harm,” adding that Hondo was in pain after being stabbed.

Officer Eric Humgarder said Jones ignored all requests to drop the knife and “it took two officers to take that knife from Mr. Jones’ hands.”

Biddle asked for a sentence of 12 years and 8 months in prison, saying “he’s got a long and violent history” that included punching a police officer in Florida in 2012. “He’s put the public in danger, put himself in danger.”

Jones’ attorney, Denis Lainez, urged a lesser sentence, saying Jones “had a tragic, tragic life” and has PTSD from a variety of circumstances.

“When he is frightened, he doesn’t act correctly,” said Lainez, who added that Jones is often homeless.

Lainez said the business owner made a false complaint against him where Jones had pitched his tent in the Midway District and had claimed Jones vandalized her car. Lainez credited the prosecutor with dismissing the vandalism charge, saying the woman was not credible.

“Mr. Jones had done absolutely nothing wrong when police officers showed up,” said Lainez.

As part of the 9-year sentence, Moring imposed three years and four months for Jones committing a probation violation by stabbing a second police dog. Jones had been sentenced to one year in jail on terms of probation by another judge.

Uncharistically of Jones, he said nothing during the sentencing. Jones had acted as his own attorney in one trial last November in which he was convicted of brandishing a knife at a police officer. Jurors deadlocked on other charges after they came too close to the Thanksgiving break and a mistrial was declared.

Jones pleaded guilty to the rest of the charges including felony assault upon a police dog, injury to a police dog, and resisting arrest to an executive officer. He received credit for serving 301 days in jail.