KCSO K-9 bite leaves woman with scars, hundreds of thousands in medical bills

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, an abscess, two surgeries, and two skin grafts. All the result of a nearly 2-minute dog bite by a Knox County Sheriff's Office K-9.

Ashley Gragg, 29, suffered that bite.

On March 14, 2024, KCSO Deputy Kyle Bothof responded to a call after someone reported seeing a woman stealing packages and decorations from a West Knox County neighborhood.

KCSO camera footage showed Bothof confronting Gragg that night in March. Her car's description and license plate exactly matched what the witness had provided.

Officer Bothof's initial confrontation with Gragg quickly turned into him pulling his gun on her after she turned back towards her car door. Bothof eventually released his K-9, Dolly.

As a result of Dolly's bite, Gragg has undergone several surgeries. She's racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. Attorney Lance Baker says they intend to sue the county.

To understand what happened to Gragg, 10Investigates looked into Bothof's personnel file, KCSO use of force reports and policies and spoke with a nationally recognized expert about the bodycam footage.

https://www.wbir.com/article/news/investigations/10investigates-kcso-k-9-bite-leaves-woman-with-scars-hundreds-of-thousands-in-medical-bills/51-f32fc363-edf4-4d22-9538-51a66141cddc

Read further. The woman suffered a TBI in an earlier accident. She was not actively resisting. There was no need for him to use the dog, and he did not call it off either.