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WADESBORO — Addressing her previous superiors and Wadesboro’s town leaders, former Wadesboro Police Department Officer Kayla Wright spoke her truth in a voice that at times shook with the emotion of the moment — reliving the night K-9 Blitz was shot and killed by one of his own in the line of duty for town council members and residents of Wadesboro alike.
In reference to the dispute regarding how K-9 Blitz came to be a member of the WPD, Wright claimed to not know the prior origins of K-9 Blitz, past meeting him and his former owner, Josh Harrington.
Reading from a prepared statement, Wright said “I can’t speak for anything about what his [Interim Chief Jason Eschert] relationship was like with Josh at the time, but we did receive a canine from Josh Harrington, which was K-9 Blitz. Whatever agreement they had was between them, I was not a part of it.”
Wright went on to recall traveling with Eschert to meet with Harrington and Blitz. She stated she knew from the outset the K-9 program was a start-up one for the WPD and equipment would need to be donated. Wright says the WPD was able to find a few leashes, toys, a harness and a vest for the new K-9 officer but was not as lucky when it came to locating other needed items such as a car cage or door panels.
Wright admits knowing the town of Wadesboro would not be able to fund these items or the K-9 training school, also necessary for the department’s new officer.
She says the town did reimburse her $250 for a car cage she picked up for Blitz, after finding it on Facebook marketplace herself.
Wright added, “The door panels and the window panels, I paid for out of pocket with no reimbursement.”
She claims she was told the budget for the new K-9 program was only $500 and that any needed items outside of this amount would need to be paid for out of her pocket.
Wright explained, “The K-9 course as well was not going to be paid for by the town. Many handlers and departments know you are suggested to attend a K-9 course. While it is not required by the state of North Carolina, it is recommended so that you have the certification.”
Next, Wright addressed the training Blitz did receive and the grueling hours she put in to ensure he received it.
She said “I did reach out to K2 solutions as I worked there prior. The school started in March for K-9 training. Beginning on March 5, for the exact date of school, I began attending the course on all my days off while still working night shift, as I was informed, we would not be able to attend the full six weeks due to coverage for shifts.”
Wright went on to detail issues she said she began having with the Sargeant accused of shooting K-9 Blitz to death, former WPD Sgt. Logan Ruocco. Both Wright and Ruocco have since voluntarily resigned from the WPD in lieu of termination following the death of K-9 Officer Blitz.
She clarified, “I began having issues with the Sergeant that was moved to my shift. I would be called out to most, if not all, traffic stops due to having Blitz with me. As many know, every stop does not require a K-9. Many things were reported, and I can’t speak if anything was corrected or not corrected as that is not my job, but the Sergeant was doing inappropriate things that were not correct. I was told by the Sergeant when to work my dog and what to do. There were many times we would go to calls, and he would ask me to get the dog out and run a track. When I said I was uncomfortable, he would tell me to do it anyway, and that he had contacted the Chief. This happened many occasions at many calls.”
Wright became emotional when discussing the death of K-9 Blitz.
“I was put in the worst situation of my life. Around 2:20 in the morning, the Sergeant of shift conducted a traffic stop. I was requested to respond. Upon my arrival, I was informed of an individual who had supposedly had felony warrants. I did not check this myself. This traffic stop led to a chase when the driver fled the scene. During this chase, I was informed over radio traffic to deploy my canine. The chase ended in Montgomery County when the suspect jumped and ran from the vehicle. I was screamed at to deploy my K-9, I did, however, hesitate but unfortunately I deployed my canine anyway, worried if I would get in trouble for not following an order. Blitz took down the suspect two houses down in the backyard. I waited and called for other officers to come to my location before removing my dog due to not having backup. Blitz was called off the bite with a toy and he accidentally grabbed my hand.”
Wright claims that since Blitz did not realize he had bitten her hand and not the toy, he would not release her. She described telling Sgt. Ruocco specifically to grab Blitz’s collar and lift him up to choke him off.
“I explained how to choke the dog off; however, I received no help. I instructed with no help someone was going to have to shoot him. That is when a taser went off and he let go. When the five-second charge was up, another one came, and he came running back to me after the second charge. He was not aggressive, and he was trained to return to his handler. At this time many rounds started going off and I began screaming commands for Blitz to lay down so no one would see him as a threat. Blitz followed that command and stayed in place. When someone moved, Blitz jumped up to reengage, and I immediately called him. Blitz again followed this command and began running back to me. At this time many rounds went off in mine and Blitz’s direction. This time Blitz was hit and screaming. Blitz ran off and I was unable to locate him at the time. When I did locate him, Blitz had lost so much blood. I ran to the car and immediately called the chief to inform him of the issue as he told me he would be there as fast as he could. I was told to see EMS, where I refused medical, and would not leave Blitz behind.”
Wright continued, “I stayed with Blitz until the chief arrived. While I remained waiting for the chief to arrive, I informed the sargeant that Blitz was suffering, and he was not going to make it. This changed nothing. The chief arrived and I was given the option to decide what happened to Blitz. Knowing the closest emergency vet was over 1/2 an hour away and he had lost too much blood, I asked for him to be put out of his misery. I couldn’t do it myself, [so] the Sergeant stated that he would. When attempting to put Blitz down, Sargeant shot him many times and at no point did Blitz charge me or anyone else that was still on scene. What happened that night is inexcusable. I was given an order and I followed that order. In return, not only was I punished, but so was Blitz. My name has been slandered, my reputation has been torn apart, and I’ve received death threats, hate messages, and more, while the individuals who should have been terminated [are] unpunished. I believe in the work Blitz and I did and the changes we were making. I was going to be terminated for following an order, [so] I resigned in order to attempt to save my career. I should not have been pushed out of the door, Blitz should not be gone today.
“While this will not change me being unemployed and it will not bring Blitz back, I hope the community sees the truth. There are many failures from top to bottom and accountability is key. I should have disobeyed that order that day but throughout this whole situation I was never set up for success. This starts with the town, and I hope they give future officers the training and resources they need to complete their training and work. I should never have been placed in a position to outfit the equipment for the canine car or training school. I should have been allotted the time to train and work with Blitz and Sergeant should not have been given any orders on how to work a K-9 when he did not have experience. This failure has resulted in both losing my dog, and my career. Now I will say, Blitz was an amazing and talented canine. He was a part of my family, and he was a great partner. I hope many can see the truth, and the unfortunate and unfair position I was placed in.”
Attempts to reach Interim Chief Jason Eschert have gone unreturned at time of print.
