Animal cruelty charges for a Pennsylvania State Trooper who repeatedly drove his police vehicle into a horse were filed last week. But the indictment—and resulting publicity—came only after "the legal window" for accessing dashboard camera footage had expired, ensuring the media and public will not see what he did.
The horse was reportedly "euthanazed" by another trooper during the incident.
[Cpl. Michael] Perillo drove a vehicle into the horse multiple times, causing it to fall, and then pinned the horse to the road, authorities said. Another trooper then euthanized it. Perillo, who enlisted in the state police in September 2006, is assigned to Troop J in Avondale. The charges against Perillo were announced after the legal window closed on requests for dashboard camera footage. State law provides 60 days to submit a request for a copy of an officer's audio or video recording. Requests must be made in writing by certified mail or hand-delivered, and rejections can be appealed to court.
