In late September of 2011 there was a fire storm of
publicity concerning the supposed abduction of Al
Govednik's German Shepherd dog Hex, including
television news appearances making these accusations.
There was a huge fund raising drive to
offer a reward and hire a private investigator. But
the Henry County Sheriff's department did an
exhaustive investigation, and found that the death
was an accident, that Hex had been hit by a truck.
There were claims that new evidence was about
to be produced, that there was pending autopsy
reports that would bring new light to the situation,
that the private investigator would come up with
new evidence.
After many months, none of this has come to pass,
and the only real evidence, including the exhaustive
report of the Sheriff's Department, supports the
accidental nature of this tragic death.
The court case involving the mis use of thousands
of dollars of Schutzhund Club funds is ongoing, and
will be reported as substantiated results emerge.
These are the substantiated facts of the case:
Henry County Sheriff's Dept Report
The body of Hex was not found adjacent to the
residence, but 400 feet down the road by people
searching the ditches for cans, according to the
investigating Sheriff's deputy.
The original reports, on television and the EMails
sent out across the country, were that the dog had
been abducted, talk of the mysterious white van,
accusations that people involved in a law suit were
responsible. No mention of searching for the dog;
for there was, according to these scenarios, no
reason to search for an abducted dog.
Stories of the "search for Hex" arose only after
the body was discovered in an advanced state of
decomposition, with stains on the ground with
embedded dog hair,
consistent with a very long
period of decay, again according to the investigating
Sheriff's deputy.
The truck driver who reported hitting Hex, in response
to posted signs, was not unknown or anonymous. It
apparently is true that he did not give complete information
when calling Al. But subsequently to that he identified
himself to the police department and was interviewed
in detail. His name and address are in the written
report, although redacted or crossed out for obvious
reasons of his security and privacy.
The overwhelming evidence is that Al Govednik simply
let his dog out early on a dark and rainy morning, and the
dog wandered off and got hit by a truck. There is not a shred
of evidence to the contrary, just a smoke screen put out there
to promote other agendas.