Joshua Rivera claims he was “viciously attacked” by the department's trained police dog, Gunner, pictured with Brian Grooms, Gunner's handler, even after he had been tasered by officers. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages because Rivera suffered permanent nerve damage and scarring due to his run-in with officers, which led to his being transported by helicopter to the hospital due to the extent of his injuries.

A federal judge set a mid-July deadline for a Franklin County man to respond to demands that his police brutality lawsuit against Butler City and several city officers be dropped.

Joshua A. Rivera was wanted on a pair of felony warrants in 2017 when he ran away from Butler City Police during a traffic stop, according to court records. K-9 officer Gunner was used to catch Rivera. The dog “engaged, grabbed (Rivera) by the left elbow and took him to the ground,” according to a police report from the incident.

Rivera was eventually charged with resisting arrest, but in a May lawsuit Rivera said Butler City Police were the wrongdoers. In his complaint, Rivera claims he was “viciously attacked” by the department's trained police dog, even after he had been tasered by officers.

This is an excerpt — pick up Sunday's Butler Eagle to read the full article.