Houston man charged with stabbing police K-9 dog arrested after dad found dead
A Houston crime scene cleaner out on bail after allegedly stabbing a police K-9 dog was arrested again Tuesday after his father was found dead.
Ryan Mitchell Smith, 26, was taken into custody around 2 p.m. while walking along the highway, days after he was arrested for stabbing the dog, Nate, during an attempted carjacking and robbery.
On Monday, family members called police to perform a welfare check on Smith’s father after not being able to make contact with him, Houston Police Department Commander Kevin Deese said during a press conference Tuesday.
The missing persons unit met with his family Monday afternoon and did another search, during which a pickup truck registered to Smith’s father showed up down the street.
Detectives drove by to look inside the truck and identified Smith behind the wheel.
He fled the scene and led police on a car chase, then escaped again on foot after crashing the truck.
Smith’s father was found dead in his garage from “not natural causes,” Deese said. His body had been hidden.
Smith has been charged with evading arrest, interference with a police service animal and robbery bodily injury, but the Houston Police Department warned that more charges could be coming after the autopsy on his father.
There were no apparent signs of struggle, Deese said.
Smith had been bonded out of jail on Sunday by family members after the Saturday morning stabbing, according to police.
The dog, Nate, was rushed into surgery at an emergency veterinary center and has since gone home with his human partner.
