A 20-year-old Houston-area man facing three felony charges after a Humble police dog was released during his arrest has denied attacking an officer or interfering with the K-9.
Christopher Cevilla was detained at the Township Apartments in Humble on 1 September after a dispute involving his brother and sister. Relatives who were present began recording as officers arrived, including a K-9 unit.
Cevilla is charged with assaulting a public servant, retaliation and interference with a police service animal. Police filings allege he threatened to kill an officer and grabbed and pushed the dog’s head during the confrontation.
He rejects that account and says he was already being detained when the animal was released.
“I was in fear,” Cevilla said. “I was wondering, am I going to get shot, or is this dog going to take a piece of me? Are they going to beat me up? I didn’t know what to think.”
Cevilla said he did not understand why the officer allowed the K-9 to attack him. He remains in custody on a $50,000 bond, according to the earlier police account of the incident.
His lawyers are seeking to have the charges dismissed. Cevilla maintains that he did nothing wrong and says the incident has left him frightened of dogs.
He said he did not wish the officers harm, but questioned whether the response reflected the responsibilities of policing.
“If you can’t be a peace officer that spreads peace, you don’t need to be an officer at all,” he said.
The Humble Police Department said it could not comment in detail because an internal affairs investigation into the incident is under way.
