with dogs. Yet even the woman who sent Java on Sherman the initial warning about a van following her children — the one that eventually drew police incorrectly to Jones’ van — joined the angry chorus. The woman, Jessi Johnson, says Jones’ van didn’t fit her description, that the police abandoned the van too quickly, and that it was obvious the dog wasn’t a pitbull. “Ultimately, I don’t think this officer should have his job and be allowed to carry a weapon,” Johnson says. “We want a name, we want something to be done, and the officer dismissed.” She’s refused to answer investigators’ questions without Jones’ attorney and private investigator present, but doesn’t believe that makes her uncooperative. One the evening of July 18, Johnson and Kunishige joined other activists at the Cherry Hill Dog Park. They hung signs on their dogs saying “Don’t shoot! I’m not a vicious pit.” Attendees sung to guitars and shared memories. Jones didn’t attend the vigil. Everything was still too raw, and he hates losing his composure in public. “It’s not a function that I want to be seen at with tears rolling down with my face,” Jones says.
The dark never looked so good.
CROSSFIRE
On a sunny Friday morning, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel yips in the seat of a Jeep in the parking lot of Java on Sherman. It was here that Arfee was killed. David Patterson, the coffee shop’s owner, made the call that brought the cops to investigate Jones’ van, incorrectly believing it matched the description sent out by Johnson. “I called and trusted the police were going to do their job,” Patterson says. “As a human being, I’m deeply saddened about the events that transpired in our parking lot.” At Java, Jones received two additional insults: A tow truck was called, threatening to tow Jones’ vehicle, and Java’s property manager ordered an angry Jones off the property. That’s channeled community outrage in Patterson’s direction, spawning a “Boycott JAVA on Sherman” Facebook page, threats, angry emails and negative reviews on websites like Urbanspoon. Patterson says the reality is more complicated: The police asked him to call a tow truck. He says he would have preferred for Jones’ van to stay in their parking lot until he could meet with cops. His wife even called the police back, asking that they return to meet with Jones to explain what happened to Arfee. Patterson says he has reached out to Jones, asking what he can do to help, but hasn’t heard back yet. Jones directs the brunt of his anger elsewhere. “I don’t think my resentment is towards them,” Jones says. “They didn’t pull the trigger on my dog.”
GOODBYES
Behind a gas station overlooking Coeur d’Alene Lake this past Saturday, Jones tosses a stick into the underbrush. His dog Larry, with a big, thick, curly coat, dashes into the brush to retrieve it. Jones sits at a picnic table, his arms wrapped against his chest, staring blearily into the distance. Eventually, Coeur d’Alene may forget about Arfee. But it’s forever changed how Jones views his hometown. He’s moving to Colorado, he says, as soon as he can. “I’m completely thankful and appreciative and literally humbled by how many people are in shock with me over this, but that’s made me more reclusive,” he says. “It’s hard for me to get that everywhere I go. … I try to shop places I’ve never shopped before. Go to different restaurants.” It took him weeks to be able to pick up his dog’s corpse from animal control. He wanted to say goodbye face to face, but couldn’t bear to open the bag and look. So instead, he used his hands. “I felt him through the bag. Every part of him,” Jones says. “From his ears to his toes and the bullet holes.” As he buried his dog, Jones says, he called the dog’s name like he did every morning, but this time in grief: “Arfee! Arfee! Arfee!” danielw@inlander.com
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AUGUST 21, 2014 INLANDER 15