SAN ANTONIO – After six days of trial, a jury on Thursday found the man accused of killing a Bexar County Sheriff’s Office K-9 guilty.
Matthew Mireles was facing one count of interfering with a police service animal, one count of evading arrest, and eight counts of aggravated assault of a public servant.
After about four hours the jury came back with a guilty verdict on all the counts despite having the option to convict him of lesser charges.
The charges stem from a chase in January 2019 that started in Karnes County. Police tried to pull him over on a routine traffic stop, but Mireles led officers on a pursuit throughout Karnes County for about 30 minutes before moving into Bexar County.
Mireles fired several shots at the officers who were chasing him.
The chase ended in the area of Loop 1604 and Highway 151, where Mireles got out of his truck, leaving it in reverse.
Deputies would eventually deploy K-9 Chucky, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, to try to subdue him. Chucky was able to bite Mireles before Mireles fired several shots at the dog, killing him.
A judge is expected to sentence him in February. Because Mireles had previously been convicted, his sentence could be enhanced and he faces anywhere between 25 years to life in prison.