Apology Wanted in Dog’s Death

The owners of a 100-pound Rottweiler shot to death in the backyard of their Laguna Hills home by a reserve sheriff’s deputy want an apology from the department.

Oz Frias, 26, described Samson as “lazy and lovable.” He said the dog liked to play soccer with kids, lean his full weight into people’s legs, bark at the lawn mower and sleep on cold concrete.

The Sheriff’s Department, however, said the deputy who shot the dog nine times feared for his life when he confronted Samson while answering a false burglar alarm. The preliminary investigation has found Reserve Deputy Fred Lebhart did nothing wrong.

The investigation is expected to be completed in a few days.

Three days after Samson’s June 29 death, ordained minister Rudy Frias, Oz’s brother, led a prayer service at which family members offered their memories of the pet.

“It was a healing and closure session for the family,” he said.

Lebhart declined comment about the shooting, and the sheriff would not release the incident report.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Kelsey Lovelady said Lebhart was checking for signs of forced entry at the home a little after noon when he went to the side of the house and looked through the white iron gate.

The deputy rattled his keys on the gate and whistled, Lovelady said. “He didn’t see anything, so he felt safe to enter.”

Oz Frias said Samson’s wooden doghouse and two blue bowls were within 10 feet of the gate.

According to the incident report, the sergeant said, Lebhart was walking along the side of the house when he came upon a growling and barking Samson. The deputy turned around and ran. He reached for his pepper spray, Lovelady said, but didn’t think he would have time to use it.

“He was in fear for his life.”

Lovelady said Lebhart shot the dog two or three times, but “it spun around and came back after him,” so he shot the dog again and again “until it went down.”

Charlene Smet was on the other side of the fence with her 2-year-old son when the shooting occurred.

She heard the barking.

“From what I remember, I just heard a bunch of shots all in a row,” Smet said. “There was no stopping.”

Kathy Francis, a public-education officer for Orange County Animal Control, said no one had filed a complaint about the 6 1/2-year-old dog.

Smet said Samson never seemed aggressive. Instead, she said, he seemed old and slept a lot.

Neighbors, who were unanimous in describing Samson’s gentleness, have turned his doghouse into a shrine, with dried flowers and plants placed outside.

“He didn’t show any signs of violent activity or a bad temper,” said Mike Sauter, who works with Rudy Frias at Saddleback College. “He was a very sweet dog.”

Thursday, several of the Friases’ friends brought the family a 6-week-old Rottweiler. The Friases named him Samson Jr.

“Samson would have wanted us to go on and heal,” Rudy Frias said. “It’s a new chapter in our life.”