A man who was on probation for stabbing a San Diego police dog was ordered April 5 to stand trial on felony charges of stabbing another police dog who was sent after him after he pulled a knife outside a business in the Midway District.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Jeff Fraser praised the actions of police officers whom he heard in the preliminary hearing of Dedrick Daknell Jones, 36, who is charged with felony assault upon Hondo, a police dog, felony animal cruelty, and brandishing a knife.
Fraser revoked the probation for Jones for the earlier case in which he pleaded guilty in 2021 to stabbing Titan, in which the police canine lost six inches of his colon and needed to have 100 stitches to close the wound when he was stabbed at a business also in the Midway District. Titan’s injuries were more severe than what occurred to Hondo.
Officer Mitchel Tani testified he and other officers responded to a business owner’s complaint about a car vandalism and a threat allegedly about Jones who was homeless and camped outside in a tent in the 3700 block of Riley Street on Dec. 17, 2021.
Tani said another officer fired a bean bag round at Jones, which had no effect on him, so he sent in Hondo, “given that he was still armed and still mobile.” Tani said he told Jones the dog would bite him if he didn’t drop the knife.
“As Hondo was biting him, I could see him using his other hand to stab Hondo,” said Tani. “As he’s on the ground, he’s still stabbing Hondo. Another officer was able to get the knife from his grasp.”
Tani testified that one stab wound was superficial and needed only cleaning. The second puncture went in 2-3 inches into the dog’s chest muscle, said Tani. Hondo had several stitches to close the wound, but one stitch later burst, so he had to return for treatment and have it re-stitched, said Tani.
Hondo recovered well, and returned to duty within 1 1/2 weeks, said Tani.
Jones’ attorney, Denis Lainez, asked the judge to dismiss some of the charges, saying it was “an unlawful arrest” because the business owner’s complaints were not valid. Lainez said there was no vandalism done to her car and Jones never talked to her.
“Her version of events were not accurate,” said Lainez. “My client was minding his own business.”
“He could have handled it better,” said his attorney. “He could have allowed himself to be arrested.”
Deputy District Attorney Clay Biddle noted he was only asking the judge to order Jones to stand trial for stabbing the police dog, animal cruelty, and brandishing a weapon.
“The police are acting in good faith,” said Biddle.
Jones, who was wearing jail clothes and a white mask, was ordered to next appear in court on April 19 to set a trial date. He remains in the George Bailey Detention Facility without bail because his probation has been revoked.
Because this is a second felony case involving injury to a police canine, Jones could be sentenced to 15 years in prison if convicted of all charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
“Our system must do a better job holding violent offenders accountable,” said Police Chief David Nisleit, in a press conference after Jones’ arrest in December 2021.
“This suspect must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law so that he will not have the opportunity to cause further harm,” said Nisleit. “It is ironic and tragic that the man who had the gall to stab a police dog in 2021 committed the same crime just months later.”
Jones was sentenced to one year in jail, but received credit for 225 days in jail he had already served. Inmates that have a 365-day sentence are normally released after they serve 180 days by the sheriff’s department which operates the jail.
