Woman faced jail time for 'staring' at a police dog

Good thing she didn't try and pet it or they would of shot her in the face.

A woman facing jail time for "staring" at a police dog had charges against her dropped Monday after an Orange County prosecutor viewed videotape of the alleged crime. Jayna Hutchinson, now of Lebanon, N.H., was scheduled for a jury trial this week on a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals.

So when did staring at a dog become cruelty to animals? So I guess this means stroking a dog's back is animal molestation.

A Vermont State Police sergeant said Hutchinson was intoxicated and stared at his police dog in a "taunting/harassing manner" last July while officers were in the process of investigating a reported melee outside a West Fairlee establishment.

How does one exactly stare in a "taunting and harassing manner"? Especially when you're drunk. When I'm drunk I usually stare at things in the hopes that it will stop spinning.

"Prosecuting a woman for staring at a police dog is absurd," said Kelly Green, a public defender appointed by Vermont District Court in Orange County to represent Hutchinson. She likened the act to giving a police officer the finger – a form of expression protected by rights accorded under the First Amendment.

I'm not sure what's more sad. That a woman was facing jail time for staring at a police dog or that this actually warranted a discussion about whether or not she should.