The man who sparked national outrage when he shot and killed a Canton police dog during a burglary in January was sentenced Wednesday to 45 years in prison.
Kelontre D. Barefield, 23, pleaded guilty to a list of charges stemming from multiple court cases on Wednesday. Specific to K-9 Jethro’s death, Barefield was sentenced to six years — the maximum allowed by state law.
Jethro was among a group of officers, including his handler Ryan Davis, who responded to a burglary in Canton on Jan. 9. Barefield fired at officers and injured the dog with four gunshot wounds. Jethro, who was trained as an attack dog, died after a daylong struggle to recover.
The canine’s death drew hundreds to a public funeral in Canton. Many police from in- and out-of-state attended the service with their own police dogs. State lawmakers responded to the national outrage against Barefield by introducing legislation to strengthen the sentence for killing police dogs.
Stark County Common Pleas Judge Kristin G. Farmer labeled Barefield’s crimes as “intolerable” and accused him of putting at risk the “safety and security” of the public and police, according to the Canton Repository. She defended her sentence by pointing out Jethro’s death, Barefield’s firing at police officers and the “terror” he inflicted via his crimes.