New Jersey state trooper accused of fatally shooting his dog, assaulting local police officer
A New Jersey state trooper allegedly shot and killed his dog, vandalized a stop sign and assaulted a local police officer.
Alexander Lark was arrested Thursday in Wayne Township, New Jersey, and charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He was also charged with a municipal ordinance violation for discharging a firearm, while animal cruelty charges are pending, according to the Bergen Record.
Shortly before 1 a.m. on Thursday, residents at Lark's condo complex called the police and reported hearing a "commotion" – possibly a gunshot – in one of the condos, the outlet reported.
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Several minutes after Wayne officers responded to the report, additional officers leaving the township's police headquarters spotted a man in the front parking lot "acting erratically."
The man, later identified as Lark, was destroying a stop sign in the parking lot, and the officers attempted to calm him down, Wayne Detective Capt. Daniel Daly said via the Bergen Record.
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As officers tried to calm him down, Lark allegedly shoved one of them before he was taken to the ground and placed under arrest. He was then transported to a hospital for evaluation.
Lark appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance, according to an affidavit of probable cause, the Bergen Record reported.
Officers back at the condo complex entered Lark's residence and found his deceased dog on the floor next to his Glock 43 service handgun.
Lark has been employed by the state police since 2017.