A Fort Wayne, IN, man had drugs in his system when investigators say he crashed into a Whitley County sheriff's deputy's car, killing a police dog, according to court documents.
Clarence L. Shearer, 31, was formally charged Wednesday in the dog's death, and a probable cause affidavit filed Wednesday in Whitley Circuit Court alleges a blood test revealed THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and synthetic opioid painkiller fentanyl. He also had a gun at the time of the crash, police said.
Related: Indiana K-9 Killed in Pursuit Crash
Shearer crashed into the police cruiser after driving across both eastbound lanes of the highway, Indiana State Police reported. The armed carjacking suspect reportedly swerved to avoid a spike strip while being pursued by police. K-9 Castorka, or "Cas," was trapped inside the burning vehicle.
Shearer is charged with causing the death of a law enforcement animal while operating a vehicle with a schedule I or II controlled substance in the blood, resisting law enforcement, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and criminal recklessness in the July 10 crash, reports the Journal Gazette.
He faces up to 19 1/2 years in prison if he is convicted.
