Pierce County quietly paid $20,000 to settle a lawsuit after a Pierce County Sheriff’s Office K‑9 bit a man who says he was working under his car in the South Hill area in December 2022. The man, identified in court filings as Harold Ashworth, was never charged in connection with the incident, but later sued the county and several deputies. In his legal filings and statements, he says the dog, identified as K‑9 Brix, left multiple bite wounds on his left arm and left rib cage.
Public county documents show that a $20,000 settlement was recorded on Feb. 17, 2026. According to Pierce County records, the payment appears as the resolution of a law-enforcement claim tied to the K‑9 incident.
The federal lawsuit and county response
As reported by The News Tribune, Ashworth filed a federal lawsuit in 2024 against Pierce County and individual deputies. He alleges deputies failed to control the K‑9 and that the dog entered private property before biting him. The filings name the dog as Brix and lay out the injuries Ashworth says he suffered. County attorneys, in their formal answer, denied wrongdoing.
How this payout compares…