An East Texas district attorney has moved to keep a four-legged member on his staff.
Sophie is a 2-year-old full-blooded, yellow Labrador retriever. Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham has put her on the job as a successor to Macy, who died of bone cancer last month at the age of two.
Sherry Magness, who's the county's victims' service director, says Sophie is trained to sit by the feet of children during their testimony. She tells KLTV-TV (http://bit.ly/xOYmE1) of Tyler that If the child becomes emotional, Sophie will lay her head on the child's lap for comfort.
However, Tyler criminal defense attorney Bobby Mims tells the station that he feels Sophie is used theatrically to appeal to jurors' sympathies for the child.
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Information from: KLTV-TV, http://www.kltv.com
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
