01/30/2025
Justice For Harley, Part II
Was Harley a Beloved Family Pet or an Aggressive Pit Bull?
By MARSHA BROWN and KAKI GALBREAITH
WEATHERFORD—The Weatherford Police Department has released some video footage of the officer-involved shooting of a local family’s beloved dog on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. Not everybody could get through the entire video because of the nature of the content. Many turned it off after watching the dog being TASERed several times, while others never attempted to view it. The editorial staff at Parker County Today viewed it more than a dozen times. For many who viewed the whole video, questions still remain.
Edited Video
After watching the video, PCT’s burning question was, "Why did the WPD shoot Harley?"
The footage WPD released came from the body camera worn by Officer Jared Barnett. He was heard numerous times saying, “F—k-it! I’m just gonna shoot him.”
Still, it was Sergeant Angela Hutcheson, who called the shots (pun intended) on the scene that night. At least it should have been since she outranked Barnett.
The edited video clip began with an image of Weatherford’s Interim Police Chief Jason Hayes introducing the video.
“I’d like to provide an update to you regarding an animal call we responded to…” said Hayes. “There’s been some concerned voices in our community, and we hear you… To help provide a better understanding…we have provided relevant footage.”
The trouble with the video is that it is heavily edited and provides footage from only one body camera aside from a couple of shots at the end of the video, which appear to have come from a different camera.
PCT filed six open records requests with the City of Weatherford on December 18, 2024, after being told by the WPD that there was no criminal investigation.
After receiving a Texas open records request, the Weatherford Police Department doesn’t get to decide what’s relevant and what isn’t. Legally speaking, WPD isn’t allowed to edit the video, aside from blurring license plate numbers and the faces of minor children. The six open records requests PCT submitted were met with an emailed file, which turned out to be empty, and a heavily redacted commander’s log sheet.
The only significant information on the sheet was that it showed the word “No” next to “Use Caution?” Additionally, PCT requested the department’s service call sheet, which lists all responding officers. This request was denied.
Due to WPD’s refusal to share this information, PCT staffers traveled door-to-door trying to piece the incident details together.
It also showed that the commander spent nearly four hours at the scene. Since that time, PCT has filed numerous additional open records requests.
PCT released an article entitled Justice for Harley via a Dedicated NewsBlast on December 20, 2024.
Hours later, WPD issued a press release entitled, “Police Respond to Aggressive Dog,” explaining why police slaughtered Harley, but it didn’t really explain it. The press release stated that Harley had attacked “people” and other animals.
What “people?”
Numerous phone calls and emails went unanswered until PCT emailed Interim Police Chief Hayes and City Manager James Hotopp and told them we would be at the Police Station at 10 a.m. on Monday, January 6, 2025 with an attorney and a flash drive to retrieve the video and the documents requested.
The attorney contracted food poisoning. So, Editorial Director Marsha Brown went to the $35 million dollar Public Safety Building alone.
Hayes denied her access to the material, proclaiming that there was an “ongoing criminal investigation.”
Who is being investigated? “Two different people,” Hayes said, adding that he couldn’t specify who, other than “not our officers.” When asked about the accuracy of the WPD press release, specifically what “people” Harley was accused of attacking, PCT was told Harley attacked the woman who lived at the Franklin Street house. Animals? The black bulldog belonging to the same woman.
Fast forward to Wednesday, January 8, 2025, Hayes released a heavily edited video on Facebook. Did that mean the investigation was completed? In that case, ALL body cam footage from all seven police officers should, by law, be provided unedited to everyone who requested it. Including PCT. But that didn’t happen. It still hasn’t happened.
Why?
PCT’s research has found that Harley isn’t the only pet victim of excessive force. According to the Department of Justice, it’s a systemic problem that has resulted in some sizable lawsuits.
The incident of Harley, the dog, began shortly before 11 p.m., when 15-year-old Kendal Klaudt (her parents, Kylee and Theresa Klaudt, gave PCT permission to reveal her identity) entered her home. Harley slipped past Kendal, ran down the street, and ended up in a neighbor’s yard. Kendal ran after him and, in the process, dropped her phone. She struggled to retrieve it but couldn’t find it. She heard some commotion and followed the yelling to a small clapboard house in the 1100 block of Franklin Street, less than two blocks from her home. She said she saw a short, stocky man beating Harley with a pair of metal barbeque tongs while a black bulldog outside the chain-link fence ripped at her dog’s flesh, and another dog inside the fence ripped at Harley’s ear. The man entered the house and emerged with a metal baseball bat while the two other dogs continued attacking Harley. Kendal was able to grab Harley’s collar, but let it go when she heard approaching police sirens and ran to greet them, thinking they were there to save Harley.
A woman reportedly came out of the house with a knife allegedly screaming, “I’ve already lost everything, and now this…” The woman, who would later identify herself to PCT as 33-year-old Jesse Merino, told a WPD investigator that she was holding a cell phone that just looked like a knife. The WPD investigator reportedly related this to the Klaudts when he explained to them why criminal charges would not be pursued against the woman.
A group of seven police officers responded to two 911 calls, both of which were made from Merino’s home. The video did supply a unique insight into the dramatic calls made by Merino and her minor daughter. This may explain why seven police officers responded to the call. But it doesn’t explain is why the officers felt compelled to TASER Harley at least 10 times, then shoot him (also reportedly 10 times) then laugh and joke about killing him (as relayed to PCT by neighbors and onlookers after the released body cam footage is abruptly cut off).
In the patchwork video the WPD released, the film editor included partial audio of those two dramatic 911 calls.
Merino contacted PCT on December 20, 2024, and identified herself after the first article appeared about Harley’s shooting. She asked PCT to tell her side of the story. PCT talked to her for over half an hour and told her there would probably be more questions and PCT would call her to follow up. She said that would be fine. When PCT called and left a message, no calls were returned.
In the initial conversation, Merino identified the other caller as her pre-teen daughter.
“I told my daughter to call,” Merino told PCT.
They dialed 911 almost simultaneously, according to one of the dispatchers on the WPD-released video.
“There are pit bulls (plural) at our house, and they’re attacking our dogs and us,” the young girl told the dispatcher.
The dispatcher asked for clarification, “The pit bulls are attacking you or your dogs?”
The dispatcher posed a valid question.
“They’re attacking almost everybody,” the pr***en replied.
The dispatcher asked, “Who is outside with them right now?”
“My mom and my dad,” said the breathless girl. “The pit bulls have come to our house multiple times already. They’ve come to our house seven times, but the neighbors never listen and let them out.”
The dispatcher asked, “Are they attacking your mom and dad right now?”
“Yeah, they were,” she said, “and the pit bulls have already bitten my mom already.”
Jessie Merino’s 911 call recording is next.
“We’re getting attacked by pit bulls,” Merino said.
Dispatcher II asked, “Are you inside or are you outside?”
Seemed like a fair question. “I was outside,” the woman said, adding, “My husband is outside.”
“Please go inside,” the dispatcher wisely advised. “Are you inside now?”
Merino’s response was most curious.
“Do I have the right to kill him?”
Him? What him? She and her daughter had just told the WPD dispatchers that “almost everybody” was being attacked by “pitbulls” (plural). Now, Merino indicated that there was only one pit bull. And instead of being frightened of the “pit bulls,” she wanted to kill one pit bull in her front yard. What happened to all the other pit bulls that she and her child reported were attacking all those people?
Dispatcher II replied, “Okay, ma’am, I cannot advise on that. I do have officers on my way to you. Ok?”
WPD’s video editor cut off the conversation at that point. It would be interesting to hear the rest of it.
The first thing you see from the body cam footage is the officer walking past parked vehicles. Then, you hear Merino shrieking from her front porch, “Oh my God! Just f--king shoot him!”
You then see a white pit bull cowering by a chain link fence with one black bulldog outside the fence ripping at the flesh of Harley’s buttocks.
“Just shoot him,” Merino screamed.
Harley is TASERed twice and falls to the ground. The black bulldog never lets go. When Harley falls, another bulldog rips at Harley’s ear from behind a chain link fence as Harley is TASERed again. The dogs appear to step up their efforts to rip into Harley’s flesh as the electrical currents pierce his body, and the man with the metal bat yells at the black bulldog to “STOP!” a fourth time.
Officer Jared Barnett’s voice directs the man holding the bat to get his dog. The man drop the bat with a loud clang. He pries his black bulldog off Harley as he is TASERed the fourth time, but instead of placing his dog inside the fence, the man lets him go. No one is seen TASERing the black bulldog. The black dog trots off-camera. Harley manages to get up and stagger down the driveway toward Kendal, during which Barnett TASERs Harley three more times.
“I need somebody to grab this dog, ‘cause I’m fixing to shoot it,” Barnett is heard saying. Kendal is sobbing at the end of the driveway.
Harley is TASERed the seventh time and falls to the pavement convulsing, while Kendal watches, horrified.
“Hey, do you have a leash or something?” Barnett asks the 15-year-old.
“No sir,” she answers through crying as Harley is TASERed for the eighth time.
“’I’m gonna keep ‘TASERing’ him if you can’t get him under control and then I’m gonna shoot him.”
“Wait,” Kendal said. “I’m going to get my parents.”
This is when you hear Sergeant Angela Hutcheson ask Officer Barnett, “Can you get it?”
As Kendal runs home, Barnett told Hutcheson that he had TASERed him eight times.
Harley keeps getting up trying to flee.
“Goddamn!” Barnett says, followed by, “Show a second TASER deployment.”
Harley yelps when the TASER stops.
And then Sergeant Angela Hutcheson’s voice is heard.
“Go ahead and kill it.”
Merino continues shrieking, although it’s hard to understand everything she’s saying, although, “F—king kill him.” continues to be discernable from time to time.
Barnett confirms Hutcheson command, “Shoot it?”
“Yeah.”
Any other communication that existed may have been edited out. After being TASERed 10 times, Harley got up and finally escaped out of the driveway, likely searching for his young owner.
Barnett’s reaction seems to be one of annoyance. At no time was Harley exhibiting aggression toward the officers. There was no snarling, growling, or barking. Barnett said, “Oh, f--k it,” as he trotted after the dog.
The video then goes dark and white words appear against a black background. It says, “Officers search for 2 ½ minutes for the dog until they find it behind a garage of a nearby home.”
In the next scene, it seems that the mood takes the tone of a hunting expedition. They’re heard planning their strategy for shooting the dog that had already been bludgeoned, TASERed 10 times, and was cowering and gasping for breath between the side of a metal garage and a chain link fence.
Sergeant Hutcheson is heard saying “Get a TASER so we can get it down, and then we’ll shoot it.”
What an idea. So sporting. No one is heard questioning her call.
“By that time, Kendal had made it home,” her mother, Theresa Klaudt, said. “She woke us up and told us what had happened. She was covered in blood. We threw on our clothes.”
Her husband, Kylee, who was trying to ensure their daughter wasn’t injured, stayed behind while Theresa ran out to save Harley.
“Give me a TASER over here,” Barnett said.
Theresa followed the voices and the flashlights.
“He’s your way,” Barnett said. “He’s your way right now. Come around the corner.”
“Where?” Hutchinson asked. “Is there anyone behind you?”
“Nah, you’re good this way!” Barnett said. “You’re good shooting north.”
Then, some audio was clearly edited out.
“You want to do it?” Hutcheson asked. His response was edited out. But WHY?
“You want to push him out that way,” Barnett said. The video shows Harley peaking gingerly around the garage. He comes to Barnett. By that time, the editor blurs out Harley’s face. Why?
One theory is that WPD wants no one see the look of trust in the dog’s eyes as he hopes he’s found someone to help him. The look on his face can’t be seen as he strolls up to Barnett. He’s not charging. He’s not growling. He’s not barking. We’re guessing the editor was hoping that people would imagine Harley exhibiting a vicious face, but seeing the way he walked up to Barnett, few people would imagine a snarl. It just wasn’t there and no amount of blurring and video editing would make people see this as anything but a cold-blooded kill. He clearly wasn’t attacking Barnett, or anyone else, for that matter.
Officer Barnett then fired a bullet into Harley’s face. “He’s hit… in the head! But he’s coming back your way!”
Another two shots are heard.
A woman’s scream is heard, “Stop! Stop!” It was Theresa Klaudt.
“Got it?” asks Hutcheson.
“Please, God, stop! Nooooooo!” is heard from Theresa.
Another shot.
“Stop!” Theresa Klaudt said again.
Although people in the neighborhood have said there were at least six more shots, the WPD editor ends the film there just before you hear a weapon returned to its holster.
After PCT staff viewed the video from Facebook, PCT called Interim Police Chief Jason Hayes. He was his usual, cheery, charming self.
“We have one question for you, Jason.” PCT began, “Why the hell did those cops shoot that dog? What is wrong with them?”
Hayes’ voice lost some of its cheer. He said, “The dog was out of his fence. We’re looking at this in retrospect … At that point in time, the decision to shoot the dog was made because the dog had shown that he was clearly a danger.”
“Really? A danger? How did he show that he was a danger?” PCT said.
On that heavily edited video, at no time did it show Harley attacking any human, not even the guy with the baseball bat who had reportedly been bludgeoning him. He didn’t attack the officers that decided to kill him.
Harley may have had a problem with the two bulldogs, but all we saw in the video was the bulldogs ripping at Harley’s flesh, and Harley didn’t seem too happy about it. So, how did he show that he was a danger?
Hayes said, “He was outside of his yard.”
When PCT pointed out that the black bulldog was outside of his fence, too, yet no one TASERed or shot that dog, Hayes had an answer.
“Understand, at that point in time, according to the information we were given, the pitbull had dragged him (the black bulldog) through the fence.”
In the words of my late, great daddy, “that dog don’t hunt.”
PCT has seen that fence up close. It’s a sturdy, chain-link fence. No gaps. No holes. It seems it would be impossible for Harley to drag that stocky bulldog out of a fence with no holes.
For all this injustice, it seems that Harley is not alone in his plight.
Civil Rights Attorney and Law Professor Mike Ware said, “Police needlessly murdering family pets has become endemic. Such instances are tragic and traumatic to the owners, particularly to the children. The fact that there are thousands (the Department of Justice estimates 10,000) of such instances every year is indicative of a much larger problem and the police perception of their role in society.”
Sometimes law enforcement forget what their true role in society actually is — namely, protecting and defending the citizens and their property.
Another attorney, Malcolm P. Ruff, Esq. represents four roommates in a $16 million lawsuit against a small town in Maryland. His clients, who are all adults, underwent the heartbreaking trauma of watching as police shot their dog, who was also not attacking anyone. The case has yet to go to court.
After viewing the video, Ruff said, "As a civil rights attorney committed to justice, I’m always deeply troubled when police officers, sworn to protect and serve, instead recklessly disregard the utter sanctity of life,” Ruff said. “This tragic shooting serves as another stark reminder that such behavior cannot be justified under any circumstance. Ten gunshots fired into a pet, a beloved family member, is not just a breach of protocol; it is a violation of basic humanity. This unjustified act exposes the local government to potentially explosive litigation and the real threat of astronomical damages awarded. The emotional toll on the victims who witnessed such horror—suffering the unthinkable pain of seeing their pet slaughtered in front of them—is incalculable. No amount of compensation can undo that trauma, but accountability is essential to prevent such future atrocities. Our justice system must hold the responsible officers and the department as a whole to the highest standards."
What will Weatherford’s Interim Police Chief Jason Hayes do to make sure that his officers don’t needlessly shoot more family pets in the future? Will the officers responsible for shooting Harley be held accountable? Will WPD acknowledge that excessive force was used when, obviously, none was necessary?
“I’m done talking about the dog case,” Hayes said, adding that as Weatherford’s Interim Police Chief, his schedule is full. “My goal is to take care of those that take care of the mission… My job as chief administrator is to protect the citizens. I do that by taking care of the people that take care of the mission.”
What would Hayes do differently next time?
“To be quite frank with you, we’ve released, we’ve put everything out about the dog case (the police killing of Harley), that we’re going to put out,” Hayes said.
Is the investigation concluded? “The detectives are typing it up.”
When the typing is done, can we expect the complete body camera footage to be released, minus the dog’s face blurring?
Hayes said. “We will release what the Attorney General says we have to release. I don’t want to talk about the dog situation anymore….”
PCT will be done, too, just as soon as WPD releases the complete body camera footage from the seven officers at the scene without odd edits and blurring out the dog’s face.
The whole issue is simple. If the shooting of the dog was justified, as Hayes claims, why does he continue withholding information, camera footage, and details?
“I’m done with this…” Hayes said.
While Hayes may be weary of discussing Harley the dog, the conversation is far from over for everyone else. Harley’s owners, Kylee, Theresa, and Kendal Klaudt, are still seeking answers. “I refuse to stop asking why the Weatherford Police shot our dog in front of my wife,” Klaudt stated passionately. “Our approach will remain peaceful and rational; we intend to pursue legal action. We aim to ensure that no other family in Weatherford has to endure the horrific experience we have faced—especially our daughter. They’re hiding something. We won’t stop until we find out what they’re hiding.”
Stay tuned.
Parker County Today Magazine is published monthly and our NewsBlast is sent out by email daily.
