Man hospitalized after bite from Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office K-9

The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office is deciding what do with a police dog that attacked a county worker running to take cover from the rain last week.

According to an incident report, a deputy was parked in his patrol car at the county complex at 223 North Live Oak Drive about 3 p.m. Oct. 2.

The deputy told investigators that it started to rain heavily shortly before he opened the car’s back door to let out his assigned K-9.

The dog spotted 42-year-old Sammie Sweatman, an employee of the county’s roads and bridges department, running across the parking lot seeking shelter from the rain, and took off after him, the report said.

The deputy ran after the dog and yelled for him to stop. The dog was already near Sweatman, however, and brushed the man’s right leg while starting to turn back, the report said.

The movement caused Sweatman to lose his balance and fall on top of the dog. The dog reacted by biting Sweatman’s right forearm, the report said.

The deputy called the dog off of Sweatman. The dog complied, and the deputy told investigators he placed him in his patrol car.

The deputy helped the injured man into a nearby garage to wait for paramedics.

Sweatman was transported to Trident Main Hospital and treated for several scrapes and a puncture wound to his arm, the report said. A county spokesman did not have an update on his condition.

Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dan Moon could not say how long the K-9 has worked for the agency.

The incident is still under investigation, and Moon said authorities are still deciding what action to take with the dog.

Dave Munday contributed to this story. Reach Christina Elmore at 937-5908 or at Twitter.com/celmorePC.