Cedartown Officer Put on Leave After HeeHaw Is Killed

A Cedartown police officer has been placed on administrative leave while authorities investigate the killing of HeeHaw, a donkey owned by Elsberry Riding and Farm in Polk County, Georgia. The city has confirmed the incident and the leave but has not released a full account of what happened.

The farm says officers entered its pasture during a search, encountered the donkey and tried to use a Taser before an officer fired. That sequence comes from the owner and has not been independently verified. The official investigation remains open.

What authorities have confirmed

Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome told FOX 5 Atlanta that command staff opened an investigation and placed an unidentified officer on administrative leave. The City of Cedartown gave WSB TV the same core confirmation and said it would not release more information while the investigation was active.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said its agency was not involved in the shooting. It said personnel from the Cedartown Police Department and Polk County Police Department were involved in the broader incident. The public statements do not yet assign each action to a particular agency or officer.

The farm's account remains an allegation

Elsberry Riding and Farm said officers entered the pasture around 12:45 a.m. while conducting a search. Owner Hannah Israel said officers later told her HeeHaw ran toward them while braying, that a Taser was attempted and that the donkey was then shot.

The farm described HeeHaw as a bottle raised family animal who had appeared at petting zoos. These details explain the family's account and its demand for answers, but they do not replace records from the investigation or an official account from the officer involved.

A second newsroom spoke with the owner

WSB TV separately reported the owner's account and confirmed the city's statement about the officer's leave. The station expressly noted that the family's description of the shooting had not been independently verified.

The two reports therefore corroborate the existence of the incident, the identity of the animal, the open investigation and the administrative leave. They do not independently establish every second of the encounter inside the pasture.

What the investigation has not answered

Officials had not publicly named the officer, released video, explained why the donkey was perceived as a threat, or provided the complete reason officers were in the pasture when the latest reports appeared. The legal authority for the entry and the precise roles of each police agency also remained unclear.

Administrative leave is not a finding of wrongdoing. It preserves room for an investigation while removing the officer from regular duties. Any conclusion about policy, criminal responsibility or civil liability would be premature without the records officials have not yet released.

Why careful wording matters

A beloved animal was killed, and the family is entitled to describe its experience. A fair report must also separate that account from facts confirmed by public agencies. Buddylio is not presenting disputed details as settled or identifying an officer whom authorities have not named.

Buddylio will update this page if the city, police department or farm releases material verified evidence. Readers can find other sourced animal welfare investigations in Animal News.

How we reported this: Buddylio reviewed the named sources, checked the organizations and figures shown above, and added context for animal lovers. Any illustration is labeled and does not depict the actual animals or scene. This report was checked on August 31, 2026. The investigation was active and the officer's identity had not been released. Articles are editorial content, not veterinary advice.