Salt Lake City Police K-9 officer Nickolas Pearce was charged with aggravated assault after a 2020 incident in which he ordered his police dog to bite a kneeling suspect, Jeffery Ryans, who had his hands in the air. Ryans sustained serious injuries from the K-9 attack. Pearce faced up to 15 years in prison, but a jury acquitted him of the felony in 2023. The department suspended its K-9 apprehension program, and Pearce remained on leave pending an internal review.
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