Official charges against a man accused of killing a Crossville Police Department K-9 officer yesterday morning (Wednesday, August 2, 2017) have been announced. Authorities say 28-year-old Dustin Lee Dixon of Crossville faces the intentional killing of a service animal, reckless endangerment, aggravated assault, DUI, evading arrest, theft of property and violation of the implied consent law. Dixon is being held in the Cumberland County jail under $246,000 bond. Dixon will make his first court appearance September 25, 2017 at 9 a.m. in general sessions court. Authorities say prosecutors worked into the evening last night researching the charge that they could impose on Dixon for the death of K-9 Officer Cain. Since the state does not have a law in effect yet charging the death of a K-9 officer as the same as the death of a human police officer, the intentional killing of a service animal was the best charge that could be brought down in the case. The charge alone is a class E felony in the state with a maximum sentence of 6 years in prison with a fine of $3,000.

105.7 News has confirmed through the Cumberland County Courts that Dixon has not made an appearance in the past in Cumberland County Criminal Court on any charges.

But in Cumberland County General Sessions court, it is a different story.

According to court records obtained this morning (Thursday, August 3, 2017), Dixon has appeared in Cumberland County General Sessions court a total of 39 times since March 2007 making on average just shy of four appearances a year. The charges over the past ten years include nine appearance for probation violation, five converted charges, three charges each of vandalism and speeding, two theft of merchandise charges and one charge each of possession of drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, allowing a dog to run at large, driving on expired tags, violation of drivers license law, reckless driving, driving on a revoked license, driving on a suspended license, criminal simulation, aggravated criminal trespassing, being a fugitive from justice, simple possession of drugs, criminal trespassing, assault, violation of the financial responsibility law (no insurance), violation of the motor vehicle lights law and driving an unregistered vehicle.