Man who tried to choke Liberty K9 officer sentenced to a year in prison

A man from Virginia facing charges in Warren has been sentenced to a year in prison.
Kristopher Wayne Bullard, 31, pleaded guilty to counts of assault on a peace officer and attempted intimidation.
Bullard's case stemmed from an incident in Liberty where he allegedly had threatened a man in the area of the Liberty Plaza.
According to the release, officers arrived on scene and identified Bullard, who had a warrant out of Warren for a felonious assault and another warrant for domestic violence out of Boardman.
Bullard and the other man had been in an argument when Bullard attacked the man by hitting and clawing him, according to the police report.
Police later saw Bullard running down Belmont Avenue and found him hiding behind Wal-Mart. When he resisted, the other officers and a K9 were called to the scene.
Bullard then threatened K9 Leo who was released and latched onto his hip. He also grabbed the dog's collar and tried to choke the dog before officers got him under control.
He also threatened to kill the officers' family while he was being taken to the hospital.