Man who stabbed Solano sheriff's K-9 Ty gets four years and eight months in prison
Harvey Edward Harris Jr., 59, of Fairfield was sentenced to four years and eight months in state prison for stabbing a Solano County sheriff's K-9 during an April pursuit on Interstate 80, prosecutors announced on Thursday. The dog, Ty, survived and has returned to work.
FAIRFIELD: A Fairfield man convicted of stabbing a Solano County Sheriff's Office K-9 during a pursuit has been sentenced to four years and eight months in state prison, prosecutors announced on Thursday, according to a KION report published on October 15.
A Solano County Superior Court jury found Harvey Edward Harris Jr. guilty on August 3 of personally inflicting serious injury on a police animal while armed with a knife and evading an officer with willful disregard, the Solano County District Attorney's Office said, according to both KION and The Reporter of Vacaville, whose account of the verdict was published by Police1. The Reporter identified Harris as a 59-year-old Fairfield man and said the verdict was reached in Department 25 before Superior Court Judge Janice Williams, and that Harris was remanded without bail after the verdict.
A slow drive on Interstate 80, then a 35 minute pursuit
The case began on April 7, shortly after 6 a.m., when Deputy Michael Ferrando was driving westbound on Interstate 80 near Dixon Avenue and saw a vehicle traveling about 25 miles per hour, according to prosecutors. The Reporter put the speed at about 25 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone and said Ferrando made three announcements over his public address system directing the driver to speed up. When the driver did not comply, Ferrando tried to pull him over, and Harris led deputies on a pursuit of about 35 minutes along the freeway into Fairfield, both accounts said.
The pursuit ended just east of the Travis Boulevard exit in Fairfield, where the California Highway Patrol had deployed a spike strip, according to The Reporter. Harris refused multiple orders to get out of the vehicle, and Ferrando sent his K-9 partner, Ty, into the vehicle, both accounts said.
Ty was stabbed, treated, and returned to duty
Within seconds, Deputy Daniel Schilling reported that Ty was being stabbed, according to the Sheriff's Office account in The Reporter. Ty suffered a fracture and multiple stab wounds, including injuries to his neck and leg, The Reporter said. KION, summarizing the prosecutors' announcement, described a fracture and multiple stab wounds to the dog's neck. Ferrando and Schilling pulled Ty from the vehicle while Harris still held the knife, and Schilling used a baton to knock the knife from his grasp before deputies took him into custody after a brief struggle, according to The Reporter.
Ty was taken to the Solano-Napa Pet Emergency Clinic and then transferred to UC Davis Veterinary Hospital for emergency surgery, according to the Sheriff's Office account published by Police1 after the April incident. The district attorney's office said Ty survived and has since returned to work, according to KION.
Harris was arrested at the scene and charged with felony assault on a police animal and resisting arrest, along with misdemeanor counts of evading an officer and possessing a switchblade knife, according to The Reporter. Deputy District Attorney Lidia Arceo prosecuted the case and Deputy Public Defender Rachel Schroeder represented Harris, The Reporter said. The Reporter's August account said sentencing had been set for August 27. Prosecutors announced the four year and eight month prison term on Thursday, October 15, according to KION.
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