Killeen man who owed city over $13,000 in loose dog tickets says he no longer has to pay

Killeen Daily Herald
By Jada Holcomb and Jacob Brooks | Herald
November 9, 2023

Franklin Jackson, a Killeen man who owed over $13,000 in tickets to the city for loose dog tickets, says he no longer has to pay the hefty fines after a visit to the city court this week.

Jackson, a 58-year-old amputee, went to the Killeen city court on Monday to contest the fines which came as a result of his dog Tuk, a great Pyrenees, running around loose in his neighborhood on Wright Way in north Killeen. The city’s animal control department has picked up Tuk nearly two dozen times up in recent months, resulting in a stack of unpaid loose dog tickets for Jackson, who says the city was charging him about $600 for each ticket.

When he got to court Monday, “they added four more,” for a total of 21 loose dog tickets totaling nearly $13,000 in fines, Jackson said.

“Mr. Franklin was charged with 21 violations. All of the violations were Animal-at-large,” according to a statement to the Herald from Killeen City Judge Kris Krishna. “He came to court on Monday, November 6, for arraignment and after receiving his admonishments, he entered a plea of Not Guilty for all his cases, His cases are still pending and he is set for a Pretrial docket to discuss his options with the Prosecutor on Thursday, November 16, 2023.”

Jackson said he met with Marti Samuel, the city prosecutor, after the hearing and the two agreed he would not have to pay the fines, as long as he just pays the court costs of $126.

City spokeswoman Janell Ford referred other questions to Samuel.

“The prosecutor is Marti Samuel and until Mr. Franklin’s cases are resolved, media should direct any further questions on Mr. Franklin’s cases to her,” Ford said in an email.

Samuel could not be reached on Thursday.

Even if the city were to pursue collecting the $13,000 in fines, Jackson said he has no way to pay such a large amount.

“No ... Hell, no ... I’m on Social Security,” Jackson said Thursday. “Tuk eats more than me.”

Jackson claimed a neighbor was the cause for all the tickets due to constant calls for his dog being off a leash.

Jackson is an amputee, with one leg, who said he uses his dog as a service dog to get around. He calls Tuk a gentle giant who has never hurt anyone.

“Every time I put him on a leash it gets tangled in my chair and I have to untie him,” Jackson said last week.

The city mentioned to the Herald that citations are written when an animal has become a nuisance or if the animal is continuously permitted to run at large, or the owner does not want to keep their animal on a leash while outside or behind an enclosure.