Woman accused of swinging her dog in the air by its leash, TriMet worker comes to the rescue
By Spencer Thomas
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PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) — A Portland woman may be charged after being accused of swinging her small dog in the air by its leash, and the man who saved the dog is being called a hero.
It seemed like a normal Monday night in downtown Portland for TriMet Customer Service Supervisor, Dan Brown.
“On Monday we got on a train as normal and did a quick fair check, said good morning to everyone as we always do,” says Brown.
Brown says his main job is making sure all customers, operators, and everyone on the system is safe, animals included.
“I got on the train and noticed a dog that was barking. So, I went up and said ‘good morning’ to the lady and said ‘ Hi, I know that there is a lot going on, especially for a dog on public transit but if you could just keep the barking under control I would appreciate it,” says Brown.
From there Brown said the woman took it to a different level of aggression he has never experienced before.
“She got aggressive immediately, got in my face, kind of doing the point the fingers in my face thing. She then said she was going to get off the train. I go, ‘that’s fine,’ and she stepped off.”
From there Browns intuition kicked in, he knew something still wasn’t right. So, he and his co-workers decided to step off the platform and keep an eye on her, then, the unthinkable happened.
“We both noticed that the woman was lifting her arms up and then she pulled the dog up by its neck,” says Brown.
As they screamed and pleaded for her to stop, she went to greater lengths, says Brown.
Brown, his team, and a helpful bystander were able to get the dog to safety and keep the woman restrained until police came, and as a dog lover himself Brown says he’s just thankful.
“It was really hard to see but like I said I’m just glad we were able to be there at the right time, the right place and save that dog, make sure nothing happened to it worse than it did,” says Brown.
The owner of the dog, Jessica McQueen, was arraigned Tuesday in Multnomah County Circuit Court on allegations of first-degree aggravated animal abuse, attempted first degree animal abuse and second-degree animal abuse. McQueen has also been ordered not to possess any animals and to return to court May 20.
The dog is in good hands after experiencing a broken leg and other minor injuries. She was taken to Multnomah County Animal Services and will hopefully find a new and loving home.
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