Florida linebacker Antonio Morrison, arrested in June over a dispute at a nightclub, was arrested again late Saturday night on charges of resisting an officer without violence and harassing a police animal—because he barked at a dog.
Morrison's mugshot is here, along with the note that he was arrested under Florida statute 843.19.4, which reads:
(4) Any person who intentionally or knowingly maliciously harasses, teases, interferes with, or attempts to interfere with a police dog, fire dog, SAR dog, or police horse while the animal is in the performance of its duties commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
Apparently, barking at a police dog falls into that category:
Morrison received a deferred prosecution agreement for his June arrest, which included "two ride-alongs with police."
Update (11:22 a.m.): According to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office's arrest report, Morrison "walked up to the open window" of a police car, and "made barking sounds in the window where my K9 partner Bear was located." Cops then tried to detain Morrison using handcuffs, which he resisted. Morrison also "spontaneously stated several times that he made a 'woof-woof' sound at the dog because the dog barked at him," and was "advised" by the officer that "distracting the canine by barking at him prevents him doing his job properly."
Update (12:03 p.m.): Florida coach Will Muschamp has suspended Morrison for "at least two games" to begin the 2013 season.
Photo: John Raoux/AP