Edmonton Man Gets 26 Months For Killing Police Dog

Edmonton, Alberta – Unfortunately, the adage that those who go to prison tend to return to prison turns out to be true all too often. For, Paul Joseph Vukmanich, age 27, he understood quite well that he was certain to return to prison when police began to pursue him five months ago this past October 7. In his attempt to evade capture, he drew out his knife and repeatedly stabbed the police dog which had caught up with him. The canine died as a result of the attack.

Now, Vukmanich, who has spent the past five months in county jail, will spend another 26 months in prison after pleading guilty to the following crimes:

Possession of stolen property
Resisting arrest
Possession of a dangerous weapon
Flight from police
Impaired driving
Animal Cruelty

As per Judge Larry Anderson, the provincial court judge who presided over the case, there was no way Vukmanich was going to avoid prison time due to the heinous nature of the animal slaying. The judge admitted that the criminal offense deeply affected the general public. The judge had considered that a term of at least 30 months prison would be appropriate. When Vukmanich’s attorney submitted a petition from the defendant for the 26 month term, the judge considered because it was close to his own preference.

In addition, Vukmanich will not be able own a driver’s license for 5 years or own a pet for 25-years. He had concurred that he “jacked” a Pontiac Grand Am. Police gave pursuit to him and thus his criminal charges starting piling up. Judge Anderson also reproached him for the dog assault saying that by killing the dog he displayed a disregard to those things held important by society.

On The Web:
Man gets 26 months for killing Edmonton police dog
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/02/28/man-gets-26-months-for-killing-edmonton-police-dog