A convicted drug smuggler is now suing the US government because, during his arrest, he alleges injuries were caused by a border patrol agent’s drug-sniffing dog.
Jose Manuel Marino-Najera was arrested in 2013 after the US Border Patrol apprehended him when he was found in possession of a 50-pound load of marijuana. He was convicted and served 180 days in prison for the crime.
But now, Marino-Najera is suing the federal government because a police dog bit him in the arm during his arrest.
According to his lawyer, the muscles in Marino-Najera’s arm were “severely damaged” by the dog.
Attorney William Risner alleges that the officers allowed the dog to go wild and didn’t curb him. “These guys, they let him chew on his arm, and he’s permanently crippled,” the lawyer said.
Marino-Najera, a native of Mexico, said that he can no longer ply his trade as a mason due to the injuries.
The arrest occurred in Arizona near the Tohono O’odham reservation close to the border with Mexico.
While the complaint Marino-Najera filed makes no mention of a K-9 unit, he alleges he was asleep under a tree when police found him. He alleges it was then the dog attacked him.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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