In a move that will make many people shake their head Hillsboro, Oregon Animal Control Officer Hoyt Stepp will not get charged for animal abuse. He beat a swift water rescue dog so severely that it lost an eye and suffered a fractured skull after being hit with his baton.
The incident happened in February in which two of Marlin Starr’s dogs had escaped a gate after a strong wind blew it open and neighbors had called animal control as the dogs were barking in the street. Starr who wasn’t at home at the time found a note taped to his door Stepp indicated that Dojie was the dog that got beat “was dangerous and aggressive and he had to use his baton on her.”
A county spokesperson stated “we care deeply about the well-being of animals and the well-being of our community. As with any incident that involves injury to an animal, we are reviewing the situation and looking at all the facts surrounding the incident.”
Unfortunately that was proven incorrect as today it got announced that Stepp will not face any charges according to the district attorney’s office. Concluding that their officer used “reasonable action.“Deborah Wood the Bonnie L. Hays Animal Services Director said “we are confident this is a highly trained officer who has a difficult job who in this circumstance behaved appropriately.”
Stepp’s story doesn’t add up, yet is this another example of a district attorney unwilling to file charges to protect one of its own? It certainly sounds like it. Does the aggressive behavior of Dojie a well-trained service make any sense? The answer is a resounding no.
A review of the incident didn’t happen until Starr pressed for one. Proving that no the district attorney nor the Animal Control office cared enough to see what actually happened on the day of the beating, which illustrates why Stepp needs to lose his job as does the district attorney who refused to press charges.
I strongly believe that the entire staff, including the executive branch of Bonnie Hayes/Animal Services “should be held accountable”….imo..apparently, this is the “standard operating practice” of this agency…. “participate in harassing pets, and, owners by baiting the dogs to bark, opening gates to allow pets to escape, and, then citing the owners when they do,…for the purpose of raising revenue,(in the form of fines., licensing fees ect.) … in Dojie’s case, beating her severely for protecting her home…all “apparently acceptable work practices”..created./encouraged/.permitted by whom?
It’s a difficult task as it means major changes to the Animal Services division of Washington County, yet it is something that must get done. There’s absolutely no reason for the agency to not make Stepp take responsibility for his actions instead took the cowardly way out.
I have dealt with the people at Bonnie Hays for decades. If Hoyt Stepp was some evil monster who went around torturing dogs, he would last 5 minutes with any of the people I met at Bonnie Hays. I’ve adopted two dogs from them. I’ve had them capture a couple and I didn’t mind the fine to have my pooch back. I think this officer was just doing his job, thought he was gonna get bit, and reacted. That’s where he got in trouble. I’m sure he feels bad about it. Washington County Animal Control aren’t monsters.
I read somethiing about the baloney of him unjustifiably shooting a dog in Alaska. He got more than 40 dog bite complaints and had feral pooches running wild. One thing about dogs. if you have more than one of them, the conscience is that of the worst one. .
My dog. Everybody loves her. I could see her getting frightened or protective. That’s why we have leashes and fences. That’s why the law requires they be supervised by humans. Thanks Bonnie Hays.
Kevin,
Appreciate the response and there’s no one saying that all of those involved are abusing animals at Bonnie Hays.
Yet, Stepp didn’t do the right thing and his story doesn’t sound plausible either. He hit a dog so hard that it lost an eye and fracture it skull. Instead of making sure it got veterinary care he just left it? Does that make any sense to you? There’s also the fact that a supposed witness that said Dojie was acting aggressively doesn’t seem to exist.
The more info I’ve seen the more it looks like a cover up by Randy Covey and Deborah Wood.
Stepp has not been fired. The police investigation led to no charges being filed. The only one charged with any crime here is Starr for not keeping his dog contained. The only one I’ve heard say the dog has a “skull fracture” and “will lose an eye” is Starr. Starr has a web site where he’s taken thousands of dollars in donations.
You do the math.
Again you never answered my question. How come there are not witnesses to Dojie’s act of aggression? How come there’s supposedly a witness that no longer exists. There’s a cover up by the Washington County Animal Services.
So, color me not surprised that Mr. Starr has solicited donations to help pay for the expenses. Also, would you be okay with an officer beating your dog senselessly with a baton?
There are no witnesses because there were no witnesses or no witnesses that wanted to come forward. Have you ever been to Bonnie Hays? It even smells nice. The dogs stay in heated kennels. They’ve had a bath. It’s the nicest dog pound I ever ran into. This is what you want an animal control to look like.
If it was my dog, I would be sorry I let it get out, I would be sorry that the dog control had to respond to my house and that my dog threatened an animal control officer. I would understand that it is standard procedure for an animal control guy to use a baton on a dog if he felt threatened. The injuries, if not exaggerated, are consistent with a confrontation like that. Suppose Dojie had run into an all too common pit bull or been hit by a car.
The smoking gun here is where Dojie was hit. Dojie did not get a baton upside the head running away.
Oh. And I don’t see a beating. It looks like a single strike upside the head.
That’s fine you’re willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately he doesn’t deserve it, he lied about a witness being there.
It says something that any time something happened with Stepp there’s the convenience factor. Oh and Stepp knew the dog was hurt, I’m betting a dog with a fractured skull and an eye injury isn’t going to get far.
The police couldn’t find a witness, that’s not the same thing.
Mr. VandeWettering…..You mentioned in your first post that you have delt with BHAS for decades….in what capacity? Also, you said that you have adopted two dogs, and, you have had “them”(BHAS) chase two down, and,paid a fine? How is it they needed to be chased down? would that be 4 dogs.?.Now you have only one.? also, why is it that you are so sure that “the officer feels bad about it” (the beating of Dojie)…did he tell you this….?….Did the officer tell you that he only struck her once..because he was afraid.? Do you know the names of the wittneses whom you say “do not want to come forward alleging Dojie’s aggression?….You are acquainted/ friends with officer Stepp?…Why does it upset You and officer Stepp that so many have donated generously to pay for the cost of Dojie’s
The police couldn’t find any witnesses to account for Stepp’s story cause that said witness never existed. Interestingly enough there are plenty of witnesses who have stated “Dojie” isn’t an aggressive dog.
Who says the witness never existed? The press looking for an abuse story? Starr, the neglectful dog owner? The police didn’t find any evidence of wrongdoing.
I say the witness never existed cause of what I’ve been able to research. Also, you’ve never answered the question how is it not abuse to leave an injured dog to possibly die after knocking the eye basically out and fracturing its skull?
You call Mr. Starr an irresponsible owner, yet Dojie is a trained rescue dog. Yeah Stepp’s story makes zero sense.
The Hillsboro Police investigated and no charges are being brought. Stepp is not being fired. So we have Hillsboro Police, Bonnie Hays and the DA in collusion to do a cover up or we have your “research”
We only have Starr’s word that the dog has a skull fracture and is possibly gonna lose an eye. $4000 collected on his web page so far seems a nice payday for letting your dog run loose.
…… “So we have Hillsboro Police, Bonnie Hays and the DA in collusion”…..In your own words…
https://www.change.org/petitions/oregon-governor-create-laws-that-protect-animals-from-abuse-by-animal-control-officers-and-remove-washington-county-animal-control-officer-hoyt-stepp-from-his-position
Gee, that makes $7000 for letting your dog run loose. Is there more money to be had here?
The city police, the district attorney and Bonnie Hays say Stepp isn’t guilty of misconduct. Is that enough people in his “own profession”? All of the city cops are bad. The DA is rotten. Our animal control just goes out and beats up dogs for no reason.
Oh brother.
….You still haven’t answered my questions….
Why doesn’t it upset you that Starr has collected $7000 for letting his dog run loose by making unsubstantiated claims against an animal control guy, setting up “Save Doji” web pages…. bla bla
An honest guy would have quit taking donations when he paid the dogs medical bills. That was thousands of dollars ago. I looked it up. Taking an eye out of a dog surgically is about $1000. If Dojie even does lose her eye.
You do realize that Stepp admitted to causing the injuries? Now please tell me how he took responsibility for it if he left the dog there to die? Do you honestly believe that he couldn’t find her?
Yes. He says he smacked her because she was trying to bite him. Look at Dojie. Looks like a dog that got hit in the head with a non-lethal police baton while trying to bite the officer. I wouldn’t expect a collapsible baton to inflict life threatening injuries to a dog and it didn’t. They are designed to be non-lethal.
Left to die! What a crock. Makes for good donations and TV news.
BHASO Stepp beat Dojie in her own back yard….once she retreated to her yard, he could have just closed the gate, and, cleared the residence….left a ticket on the door…end of story
No he tried to do what he was supposed to do which is impound the dogs and write a citation.
BHASO Stepp beat Dojie in her own back yard….once she retreated to her yard, he could have just closed the gate, and, cleared the residence….left a ticket on the door…end of story
“AT THE DESCREATION OF THE OFFICER…” not interested in STEPP’s quota numbers or BHAS’s quota/revinue #’s
What quota? He chased a loose dog into a yard. It’s own yard? Who knows?
It’s obvious you know nothing about this case and are completely ignorant to the facts. Marlin has raised $3,980 as of just now, where are you getting $7,000 from? Also, he didn’t allow his dog to run loose, the gate was blown open. Stepp followed his dog into the yard instead of just closing the fence. He didn’t chase the dogs into a yard. They ran back into their OWN yard as any dog would do when caught doing something they know they shouldn’t especially a well trained dog like Dojie. The officer wasn’t following the dogs because he thought they ran into someone else’s yard whose gate happened to be open. That is illogical. And as for the fractured skull, this came from a vet, there is evidence of this, it is not made up as you ignorantly assume. After Dojie was beaten she ran into her own home through a doggie door so Stepp couldn’t get to her. If his imperative was to impound and he assumed a wild dog just ran through someone else’s yard and doggie door and threatened an innocent family’s life, being so aggressive and all, he would have called the police immediately to protect the family. Or he would have left a note on their front door saying “A wild aggressive dog just ran into your back yard and doggie door. She is somewhere in your house, BEWARE.” Stepp knew he followed the dog into into’s own yard and callously beat her instead of issuing a citation and closing the gate.
There is another funding site in addition to the $3980. Even $3980 is double what any imagination would expect caring for Dojie to cost. What Stepp knew, when he knew it…. Only Stepp knows.
If you want to change the law regarding how and when animal control pursues dogs, change the law. It might even be safer for animal control. Now, they are supposed to catch the dogs and take them to BHAS. Now, they are to pursue “Dogs at Large” on their own property and collar them.
That doesn’t make a monster. It might make bad law. If you changed that law, you’d have to live with the consequences, more “Dogs at Large”. I think we have well enough “Dogs at Large”
If anybody is gonna do anything about anything, you can’t take one incident (and try to make a 10 year old incident relevant) to make the choices.
I believe Stepp chased the dog trying to catch it because that’s what he’s supposed to do. I believe Dojie got protective and tried to bite him and got smacked because that’s what her injuries look like. From the press, you’d think animal control went around beating every dog they encountered.
Half of the stuff I hear about animal control is obviously people being chapped that their dog was loose and got caught by the pound.
Maybe we should have the same rule for the cops. If you make it in your own yard, they can’t chase you?
Another thing is that there are a lot more hazards out there for Dojie and Lucy loose than animal control. They can be hit by cars. They can be eaten by pit bulls. They can do damage, kill cats etc. They can get lost.
Even Starr “Every dog in Washington County is in danger” What a load. Makes for nice donations….. many times what Dojie will cost to fix. Maybe Dojie can watch the new big screen?
I’m sorry Kevin feel free to read what Stepp said. He made false claims, he said “Dojie acted aggressively as he was trying to get the other dog” where does it say he hit Dojie after going into the backyard?
Your argument has only prove you know nothing of the case.
A neighbor on one of the news shows said Stepp hit Dojie after chasing her into the yard.
Then why didn’t he impound the dogs? Instead he got the two back to its residents all he had to do was make sure the fence was closed correctly and go.
Yet, from every witness account everything was fine until Step was no longer in their line of site. So he knew there were people watching and hit Dojie with the baton after being out of sight of the neighbors.
I’m assuming after he hurt one, he decided to call it quits. One of the neighbors said on camera that he was a “little surprised” that Stepp had to smack Dojie. Stepp was probably surprised too. I remember BB when a friend of mine came in my back gate. She didn’t know whether to run away or fight.
Maybe there should be a law that animal control doesn’t pursue dogs as vigilantly, That’s not the law now. I’m not sure though. I like that the strays get picked up. In general, it’s probably safer for them and for the public. I’ve always said “A dog without a people is a varmint” I am including my own, If dogs didn’t require human supervision, we wouldn’t need animal control.
You do have to remember that Animal Control was responding to a complaint. Evidently Dojie and Lucy were causing enough trouble for someone to complain.
That dog wasn’t allowed to run loose. Which shows you haven’t even bothered reading. A faulty lock on a gate after a wind storm allowed for both dogs to escape.
If you find my dog loose, pick it up please. If it tries to bite you. Do what you have to do.
Mr. VandeWettering…..You mentioned in your first post that you have delt with BHAS for decades….in what capacity? Also, you said that you have adopted two dogs, and, you have had “them”(BHAS) chase two down, and,paid a fine? How is it they needed to be chased down? would that be 4 dogs.?.Now you have only one.? also, why is it that you are so sure that “the officer feels bad about it” (the beating of Dojie)…did he tell you this….?….Did the officer tell you that he only struck her once..because he was afraid.? Do you know the names of the wittneses whom you say “do not want to come forward alleging Dojie’s aggression?….
I have lived in Washington County for 52 years. I am on my 8th dog. My association is being a resident of Washington County with dogs. BHAS people are cool.
Go adopt a dog now. Talk to the staff. I never met an ogre. What I have seen is people that give a damn.
It’s probably best to ignore Kevin altogether. Just click on his name and look at his previous posts. You’ll notice he is a raging right winger and comes up on the wrong side of every issue. I feel the most sorry for his dogs. If he even really has any. He has a big mouth but not much common sense comes out.