"Dog did it" dad "not guilty" of child abuse (Gainesville, Florida)

BANDIT THE DOG! GUILTY!

Are you kidding me? Do these people want us to believe that the doggie abused the then 2-month-old baby (as opposed to dad HERBERT WADE PRIESTER) when:

1) There were no bite marks or scratches on the baby's neck or face

2) The baby's diaper and one-piece sleeper with attached feet were removed from the baby's body.

Not shredded, but removed. That's one talented canine. Amazing ambidexterity. Maybe Bandit could go on tour and give demonstrations.

Of course, Dad is also an ex-cop. In Alachua County no less. 'Nuf said.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100219/ARTICLES/2191008/1002?p=1&tc=pg

Ex-officer not guilty of child abuse
A jury acquitted Herbert Wade Priester after deliberating for four hours Thursday.

By Cindy Swirko
Staff writer

Published: Friday, February 19, 2010 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 11:08 p.m.

A former Gainesville police officer was found not guilty Thursday of aggravated child abuse and neglect for injuries his daughter suffered three years ago.

An Alachua County jury deliberated about four hours before acquitting Herbert Wade Priester, 39, who was working as a patrol officer when he was charged in the case and was reassigned to an office job pending the outcome of the trial.

The charges were the result of injuries his daughter suffered three years ago when she was about 2 months old.

Investigators have said the girl had internal bleeding from her spleen and liver, broken ribs as well as various marks on her skin.

The girl recovered and is now a healthy 3-year-old, according to both sides in the case.

What separated the prosecution and defense is the question of how the 10-pound girl received her injuries.

Priester's case included expert testimony describing how the injuries were inflicted by Bandit, the Dutch shepherd dog who was at the home with Priester and the infant on the day she was injured.

His attorney, Don Holmes, said during the trial that the prosecution's case had inconsistencies.

"The pieces won't fit," Holmes said. "There will be inconsistencies. There will be conflicts."

For example, Holmes said, forensic experts who were presented with the same information but reached different conclusions on whether Priester or the dog was responsible for inflicting the injuries.

During opening arguments, Assistant State Attorney Jeannie Singer described the girl's injuries as having been inflicted by her father - Priester.

For example, Singer said, the medical team that worked on the infant did not find any bite marks or scratches on her neck or face, which would be signs of a canine attack on a human.

Singer also said that Priester's wife, the baby's mother, left the infant in a diaper and a one-piece sleeper with attached feet - an ensemble a dog was unlikely to be able to remove from a baby.

State Attorney's Office spokesman Spencer Mann said after the verdict that the case involved circumstantial evidence.

"We are obviously disappointed in the decision but we respect the difficult decision that the jury had to make," Mann said. "It basically was a circumstantial case that required significant expert testimony from both sides."