Castle Rock police-K-9 attack injured toddler and father in 2024
A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office K-9 escaped his handler’s enclosure, crossed a fence and attacked a 2-year-old girl and her father in a neighboring Castle Rock backyard.
Incident summary
On Aug. 11, 2024, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Ragnar escaped an outdoor enclosure at his handler’s Castle Rock home, cleared a roughly five-foot fence and entered a neighboring backyard during a children’s birthday party. The dog attacked a 2-year-old girl and then bit her father when he intervened. Initial reporting based on the sheriff’s office said both victims were injured and taken to a hospital; later court reporting described a puncture fracture to the child’s femur and additional injuries to her father. The K-9 was quarantined after the attack and later removed from active service.
The handler, then-Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy Zachary Oliver, was prosecuted on misdemeanor dangerous-dog charges. A Douglas County jury found him not guilty in July 2025. CBS Colorado reported afterward that Oliver was resigning from the department and that Ragnar would not return to active service. The acquittal is recorded separately from the underlying bite injuries and does not erase the occurrence of the attack.
Video, reporting and source material
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Primary record used by BiteDB
Denver7, reporting the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announcement, said the K-9 escaped its handler’s outdoor enclosure, jumped a five-foot fence into a neighboring yard, bit a child and then the child’s father when he intervened; both were injured and transported to a hospital. Later 2025 court reporting identified the dog as a Belgian Malinois and described a femur fracture to the child.
Open original source ↗Additional sources
- Colorado district attorney criticizes defense used by Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy in K9 attack of girlLocal television court-outcome reporting · 2025-08-01
- Colorado family facing $300,000 in medical debt after K-9 officer attacks toddler, maims her fatherLocal television follow-up reporting · 2026-08-22
What BiteDB does not infer
Breed is recorded only at the provenance level shown above. Missing injury details, dog history, ownership facts or circumstances remain unknown unless a reliable source establishes them. This record may be updated as police, animal-control, medical, court or follow-up reporting becomes available.