NOBLESVILLE — The suspect charged in the shooting death of a Fishers Police Department K-9 Officer last November, pleaded guilty and was sentenced Tuesday in Hamilton County Superior Court.
19-year-old Richard Garrett was given a six-year prison term after pleading guilty to charges of battery against a public safety official, criminal recklessness, striking a law enforcement animal, and resisting law enforcement.
Garrett is looking at even more serious charges in Marion County, where he faces two counts of murder and numerous other crimes. The Hamilton and Marion County cases are not related.
PREVIOUS: K-9 Harlej died from a gunshot wound to the head
The incident last November in Fishers began when Garrett did not pull over during a traffic stop and then led police on a chase which ended with Garrett shooting Harlej, the police dog.
According to information from Fishers police and the Hamilton County Prosecutor, the chase began when Garrett, who was driving a stolen vehicle, was reported going about 100 miles-per-hour on Interstate-69.
The car eventually spun out of control and Garrett took off on foot into a Fishers neighborhood. It was there that he shot Harlej.
Garrett is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing in Marion County later this month. The Indianapolis charges are from October, 2019 and involve a murder and a hit-and-run crash that left a man dead.
