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Berkeley County Settles with Bunker Hill Woman Attacked by Police Dog

The Berkeley County Commission has paid $50,000 to Annjeana Moore for injuries she sustained on June 30, 2004 when she was severely bitten by a deputy sheriff’s police dog. Ms. Moore was standing in the yard of her residence when the attack occurred. Deputy Thomas A. Young and Deputy Scott Myers of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s office had responded to a call at the Moore residence to investigate an assault on a neighbor by a man who had fled the scene. After unsuccessfully attempting to track the assailant with his police dog, Deputy Young placed the dog in his cruiser with the window partially rolled down. During a verbal altercation between Deputy Young and a group of neighbors displeased with the Sheriff Department’s response to the assault, the police dog jumped through the open window of the cruiser and attacked Ms. Moore inflicting severe bites to her leg and arm. She was transported by ambulance to City Hospital in Martinsburg where she received medical treatment. Deputy Young subsequently filed criminal charges against Ms. Moore claiming she had obstructed justice and committed a battery by kicking him. The charges against her were later dismissed for lack of evidence. After the charges against her were dropped, Ms. Moore filed suit in the Circuit Court of Berkeley County against Deputy Young for failing to properly control his police dog and against Deputies Young and Myers for filing false police reports leading to her arrest. Prior to the trial, the defendants agreed settle her claims paying $50,000 to Ms. Moore. Ms. Moore was represented by Martinsburg attorney, Harry Waddell. “As with all settlements the defendants admit no fault, however the amount of the settlement clearly indicates that the defendants believed that they would not fare well if the facts of this case were presented to a jury,” said Mr. Waddell.

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