During a raid on a weed farm in the Emerald Triangle, an incident where an officer fatally shoots a dog has raised pressing questions and public outrage.
The Los Angeles Times reports growing anger as the incident details come to light, noting the farm was licensed at the state level and nearing county approval. The situation has sparked calls for the resignation of Trinity County Sheriff Tim Saxon.
A 36-second video clip documents the moment a Cal Fire officer shoots a dog in a tumultuous effort to manage the scene. The video, uploaded by reporter Kym Kemp who covers the Emerald Triangle, includes an officer’s warning, “Hey, don’t touch the dog, he just got pepper sprayed.” It’s important to note that an unlicensed commercial cannabis operation in the county is merely a $500 misdemeanor.
On May 1-2, 2023, the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office secured a search warrant for the Hayfork and Trinity Pines area. The operation was supported by the North State Major Crimes Investigation Team, Cal Fire, the Trinity County Environmental Health Department, and the Trinity County District Attorney’s Office Victim Advocate.
The SF Gate reports that farmer Nhia Pao Yang, who does not primarily speak English, was unable to understand the English commands from officers, leading to a tragic misunderstanding as he approached them with his hands up. One of his dogs then approached an officer, who responded by shooting the animal.
The police describe the dogs as “aggressive,” a term used multiple times in their report, asserting that the dogs were trained to attack.
“During the execution of the Search Warrant at Nhia Yang’s property, Investigators encountered Yang who had five aggressive dogs,” reads a statement posted on Facebook. “Yang was non-compliant, attempting to keep investigators at bay by positioning himself near one of the aggressive dogs. When officers moved to arrest Yang, one of the dogs lunged at an investigator, who defended himself by firing at the dog. The injured dog later died at a local veterinary clinic. Yang was arrested for illegal marijuana cultivation, possession of marijuana for sale, and resisting arrest.”
Cal Fire, as stated by Saxon, is conducting an investigation into the dog’s shooting by one of their employees.
Yang also faces charges of unlawful cannabis possession, failure to secure dog licenses, rabies vaccinations, improper tethering of animals, allowing his dogs to attack or injure a person, and resisting arrest.
California’s Dual Licensing Mess
According to the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC), Yang’s family possesses a state license for their small family farm and were in the process of obtaining a county license as well.
Proposition 64 has established a dual licensing system necessitating both state and local approvals for commercial cannabis cultivation. Los Angeles Times highlights that many farms in Trinity County are still unlicensed. License seekers in 2021 were required to begin anew when a judge overturned the county’s licensing scheme for lacking an environmental review.
The DCC has issued a letter assuring those who lost their local licenses due to the judicial decision that it would not take any actions against them.
Even the sheriff’s office acknowledges problems with the current licensing system. “I wish for consistent policies across the state,” Sheriff Tim Saxon expressed to the Los Angeles Times. He noted the dual licensing system “puts many sheriffs in a difficult position, myself included.”
