Arlington Police Officer Faces Indictment Linked to Husband’s Animal Cruelty Case, Officials Report

By Catherine Espinosa Last updated Jan 12, 2024 0

One felony count of retaliation was the basis for Stacie Brown’s indictment. Three dogs passed away while in her husband’s care last year, leading to his current indictment as a dog trainer.

Texas’s Arlington One count of retaliation, a third-degree felony in Texas, is being brought against a longtime Arlington Police Department officer with a criminal case involving her husband in which three pets passed away while under his care.

On December 11, a grand jury in Tarrant County indicted Officer Stacie Brown. Brown is currently on leave as the Arlington Police Department’s internal affairs branch conducts an administrative inquiry.

On January 9, she handed herself into the Tarrant County Jail, and she was released shortly after.

The lawyer for Ofc. Brown said WFAA on Thursday afternoon that their client has not committed any offenses and that they have requested a speedy trial to get the case in front of a jury as soon as feasible.

An email from a representative stated, “The department takes this matter seriously and is cooperating with the DA’s Office.”

Brown was a founding member of the LAPD’s DWI squad and has served in the agency for eighteen years. In 2015, WFAA even followed her on a ride-along at night, where she did sobriety tests and even arrested someone for DWI. Brown told WFAA that following her sister’s death in an alcohol-related car accident, she left teaching after ten years to work as a DWI officer.

Her husband’s criminal case, which involves three counts of animal cruelty and tampering with evidence, is the reason for her indictment.

K-9 Direction’s owner, Alan Brown, is linked to each cruelty count through a deceased family pet that was under Brown’s care as early as 2021. Early in August, WFAA conducted stories with each of the three owners. Alan Brown founded K-9 Direction, a training and boarding organization.

The accusations against Stacie Brown stem from those made by Emeka and Masera Ndukwe, whose Bernadoodle dog, Brooklyn, passed away under Alan Brown’s care while they were on vacation abroad. Following the couple’s internet viral story, other owners who had experienced such suffering came forward.

Stacie Brown is charged with retaliation because she filed a police report against the Ndukwes after their viral post about Brooklyn contained her name, her relationship to Alan Brown, the address where he ran K-9 Direction, and her badge number.

The message of the post was to avoid using Alan Brown’s company.

According to a report that Stacie Brown filed, the Ndukwes posted this intending to hurt or threaten Brown because of her employment or position as a public servant. The case was later dropped by Alan and Stacie Brown.

The indictment against Stacie Brown stated that she “did intentionally or knowingly harm or threaten to harm (the Ndukwes) by an unlawful act, namely making a false police report to a peace officer, and the unlawful act was committed in retaliation for or on account of the status of Emeka Ndukwe as a person who has reported the occurrence of a crime.”

Background of the Case

The Ndukwes said that while on their honeymoon in Europe in late June, they left Brooklyn for a few weeks with Alan Brown. When Alan Brown neglected to provide them an update on Brooklyn’s condition, the Ndukwes claimed WFAA they had a friend make arrangements for him to be picked up.

However, Alan Brown informed the Ndukwes that Brooklyn had passed away in her kennel while in his van while preparations were being made. According to a veterinary clinic report, Brooklyn was in Alan Brown’s van during training courses, where the air conditioning was running due to the heat. The complaint went on to say that when Alan Brown went back to see how the dog was doing, she was not responding.

After Alan Brown attempted to revive Brooklyn, the clinic eventually preserved her remains, according to the Ndukwes. However, the Ndukwes claimed that after they attempted to remove Brooklyn from K-9 Direction, Alan Brown finally acknowledged that she had been deceased for many days, possibly even seven.

Alan Brown responded to the Ndukwes via text message, telling WFAA that he should have been in touch sooner to “…preserve as much of your honeymoon & Paris memories as possible for future anniversaries.” The couple claimed that they were incensed upon learning of it and promptly left for the United States. The couple claimed they were unable to arrange a necropsy in time to ascertain Brooklyn’s cause of death because Alan Brown had not told them the truth about her unexpected demise.

A grand jury concluded that the Ndukwe’s allegations had merit and noted that Alan Brown had neglected to get in touch with them so that they could ask for a necropsy to ascertain Brooklyn’s cause of death. That sentence was submitted in response to the indictment’s allegations of evidence tampering.

Regarding his allegations from the previous year, Alan Brown’s lawyer, James Luster, released the following statement to WFAA:

“Alan Brown has spent decades assisting dog owners in providing better care for their pets because he loves animals. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are mourning the loss of a cherished pet. Heartache is the motivation behind these mistaken claims. We are eager to correct any misconceptions and assist investigators in gaining a deeper understanding of the circumstances.”