Man Arrested, Accused of Kicking 'Tom' the Bomb-Sniffing Dog at New Orleans Airport
North Carolina man found himself in handcuffs after authorities say he deliberately kicked a K-9 officer at Louis Armstrong International Airport Monday morning.
Tom, a dog who works as a TSA Explosives Detection Canine, was participating in training exercises with his handler, Agent Benjamin Vidacovich, on Concourse B at the airport just before 10 a.m., according to an arrest report.
While the pair was near gate B-11, a man identified by authorities as Michael Toussaint, 33, of Charlotte, N.C., allegedly kicked Tom on his side, the report said. Tom is doing well, according to a TSA spokeswoman.
Toussaint was taken into custody and booked with simple cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor. He was being held Tuesday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna in lieu of a $1,000 bond.
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