OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — An Oak Ridge K-9 officer is pushing back after being suspended following two separate incidents in late 2025.
Officer Joshua Banuelos received a 36-hour unpaid suspension and was removed from K-9 handler duties for a month after being accused of disrespectful behavior during a crisis intervention training course and showing up to a canine training session “unfit for duty.”
The first incident happened in November when Banuelos was attending a Crisis Intervention Team course. Instructors reported he was “disrespectful and undermining.” He was frequently talking over presenters, rolling his eyes and at one point said he “wished he could burn down places that house IDD clients.” IDD refers to intellectual or developmental disabilities…