Man sentenced in Anchorage police dog stabbing

Published 2:39 pm Saturday, December 13, 2014

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A man who stabbed an Anchorage police dog was sentenced to four years in prison.

Alaska Dispatch News reports Noel Hommerding was charged with first-degree assault on a police dog and in July and sentenced Friday.

At the time of the incident, the canine— named MP — was months from retirement.

Officer Nathan Keays had heard there was a man wielding a machete so he went to the scene with the dog.

Keays sent his four-legged partner after the fleeing suspect, and the dog bit Hommerding’s arm.

Hommerding pulled a pocketknife and sliced MP three times in the head and neck. The dog survived after surgery.

Prosecutor Daniel Shorey says the long sentence reflects the community’s strong disapproval of the attack.

Shorey says Hommerding apologized during the sentencing.