Evansville man accused of attacking police dog

EVANSVILLE – A man suspected of stealing cold medicine from a pharmacy ran away from officers and attacked a police dog sent to search for him, police said.

Corey M. Smith, 22, faces preliminary charges of theft, false informing, resisting law enforcement and interfering with a law enforcement animal. He was being held on bond Tuesday at the Vanderburgh County Jail, where a jail official said he did not know if Smith had a lawyer.

An Evansville police officer spotted Smith shortly after Monday’s pharmacy theft and took him into custody because he matched the description of the suspect, a probable cause affidavit states.

When Smith overheard that a witness had identified him as the thief, he ran into a nearby wooded area.

A police dog sent to find Smith a short time later quickly found Smith, who started choking the dog, police said. An officer intervened before the dog was hurt, the affidavit said.