Charges brought against Jayna Hutchinson of Lebanon, N.H., for staring at a police dog were dropped today. In yet another bizarre case of irrational police behavior, Hutchinson, 33, was arrested and charged with cruelty to a police animal by Vermont State Police Sgt. Todd Protzman.

Protzman had responded to a call made from Hutchinson because she had spotted a suspect that had assaulted her the previous day. Apparently Hutchinson had been drinking and Sgt. Protzman refused to assist her with her complaint.

"Prosecuting a woman for `staring' at a police dog is absurd," said her lawyer. "People are allowed to make faces at police dogs and officers to express their disapproval. It's constitutional expression."

Orange County State's Attorney Will Porter reported that Max, the police dog, couldn’t testify, and this was his reasoning behind dropping the charges. It sounds to me like there are a few people in Vermont other than Hutchinson who have been having a bit too much to drink.