A Whakatane police officer who shot a dog with an arrow has now been charged - after police reversed an earlier decision not to charge the man.
Inspector Kevin Taylor, Area Commander for Eastern Bay of Plenty announced the decision in a statement this afternoon.
"In November 2014 police launched a criminal investigation into an incident in which
an off-duty police officer fired an arrow which shot and injured a dog in Whakatane.
"At the completion of that investigation a review concluded that the evidence did not reach the threshold for a criminal prosecution.
"As part of the ongoing employment enquiry a decision was made to seek a second legal opinion from Crown Law. As a result of that process the police officer has now been charged with reckless ill treatment of an animal under the Animal Welfare Act.
