Condolences pour in for Wise County police dog killed on duty

Texas Rangers continued to sort out what happened Wednesday in a wooded area near the Wise and Montague County line where a police dog was shot to death and the man being pursued was killed.

Alan Lance Alverson, 45, was being pursued by Bowie police and Montague County deputies who were trying to execute arrest warrants, said trooper Tony Fulton of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Alverson stopped his vehicle and ran into a wooded area near Picket Run Road and Aujla Road near Sunset.

The officers called for Wise County sheriff’s deputies and their tracking dog, Pepper. DPS troopers also joined the hunt. Two handlers arrived with Pepper, and three troopers went into the woods to search.

Pepper located Alverson, and he was ordered to drop his handgun, Fulton said.

“He rose up and started firing, and officers returned fire,” Fulton said. “The dog was struck by the gunfire.”

Alverson was fatally wounded, Fulton said.

Alverson, who had been arrested 23 times since 1990, was being sought on a probation violation warrant out of Wise County and warrant accusing him of possession of a controlled substance out of Tarrant County, according to a news release from the Wise County sheriff. Past arrests included escape, carrying a prohibited weapon and drug possession, the release said.

The hunt for Alverson began about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday when Bowie police spotted him in a vehicle and tried to pull him over.

“At one point, there was a female passenger with the suspect,” Fulton said. “He stopped, let her out and continued driving on.”

There was no information Thursday on what happened to the woman.

Condolences poured in for Pepper, a Dutch shepherd. Expressions of sympathy were also posted on the Officer Down Memorial Page website, which remember officers and dogs killed in the line of duty.

Pepper had been on the force just three months. The dog’s body was taken to Texas A&M University for an examination, Fulton said.

A memorial service is being planned, the news release said.

Sunset is about 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth.

This story was originally published January 29, 2015 at 11:28 AM with the headline "Condolences pour in for Wise County police dog killed on duty."