ROCKLAND, Maine — A police dog was used Saturday to subdue an 18-year-old college student from Connecticut.
David Cassie Jr. of East Orange, Conn., was released Monday on $1,000 cash bail after a hearing in 6th District Court of Rockland.
Cassie is charged with assault, terrorizing, criminal mischief, refusing to submit to arrest and disorderly conduct.
According to a report filed by the Maine State Police, Cassie’s father had contacted police to report that his son was acting erratically and was walking with a knife along Route 131 in Warren. When two state troopers arrived in Warren, they encountered Cassie’s father, who had taken the knife away from his son. The younger Cassie, who was found in nearby bushes, was belligerent, according to the police report.
“He challenged us to bring it on,” Trooper Donald Webber stated in the report, adding that Cassie Jr. said he would take on the police K-9 as well.
After Cassie continued refusing to get on the ground as instructed, the trooper had the police dog grab his arm and bring him down. Four officers were needed to keep him down, according to the report. A spit hood was placed over Cassie’s head because of his behavior.
Cassie was arrested initially for a felony count of assault on an officer for assaulting Trooper Blaine Bronson, but that was lowered to a simple assault charge when the district attorney’s office filed its criminal complaint on Monday. District Attorney Geoffrey Rushlau said Bronson was not injured when he was kicked by the teen.
The prosecutor said Cassie was tested for the drug bath salts because of his erratic behavior but none was found in his system. His blood alcohol level was determined to be 0.20, and marijuana also was detected. Rushlau also said Cassie was not injured by the police dog.
Way to go D.A. The Troopers were assaulted but not in your eyes apparently to the level requiring a felony. Sounds like you just didn’t want another case in grand jury to me. You should be ashamed.
Good dog! Not that anything will happen to this guy……
It sounds to me like a kid with a problem, either drugs and alcohol or mental or maybe all of the above, maybe the DA recognizes that and doesn’t want to mark him for life with a felony charge…
Or maybe he is just a spoiled kid that likes defying authority.
Better get rabies shots just in case…for the DOG! Who knows WHAT was in that boy’s blood…
“After Cassie continued refusing to get on the ground as instructed, the trooper had the police dog grab his arm and bring him down” Obey Peasant, or we will make you pay with torture.
“He challenged us to bring it on,” Trooper Donald Webber stated in the
report, adding that Cassie Jr. said he would take on the police K-9 as
well.
So they sent the poor doggie in to answer the challenge – without a gun, taser or nightstick.
So how would you have handled the situation?
What law had Cassie Jr. broken that he should submit to arrest?
too much alcohol, not enough marijuana. loud mouth soup tends to override happy smoke. stay with the happy smoke.
18 and drunk, not to mention disturbing the peace, threatening assault, and a number of others. 18 year old drunk with a knife walking along a major roadway and behaving belligerently–yeah, no problem here.
The original report had nothing in it about alcohol blood level, at least not the report I read.