MATTHEW RATAJCZAK matthew.ratajczak@scripps.com Port St. Lucie police Officer Michael Colton and his 6-year-old Dutch shepherd, Pino, brief reporters Tuesday about capturing a suspected car burglar. The three fought for five minutes before the man was subdued.

By WILL GREENLEE
will.greenlee@scripps.com
November 1, 2006

PORT ST. LUCIE — The fight started about 2:35 a.m. when a suspected vehicle burglar rushed Officer Michael Colton, knocking the veteran law enforcer to the ground with a football-style tackle.

And for five minutes Tuesday, Colton, 39, and his canine partner, a Dutch shepherd named Pino, engaged in a violent struggle with Thomas C. Ester, 36, who was hiding in some brush near a vehicle that appeared to have been burglarized.

"He was going to do whatever he had to do to get away ... and I just wasn't going to allow it," Colton said. "It became a war of wills."

Minutes earlier, Colton was patrolling in the area of Southwest Diamond Street following several reports of car burglaries when he noticed a vehicle's interior light going on and off.

Colton heard someone running through the brush as he approached and noticed the glovebox open.

Colton, who joined the Port St. Lucie police after 17 years with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, walked about 30 feet before spotting a man in a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and gloves.

Colton ordered him out of hiding.

The man then "got aggressive," slamming into Colton with his right shoulder and knocking the officer to the ground. Colton warned the man he'd unleash Pino if the man didn't stop, but the man apparently didn't care.

"He caught up to him in pretty short order," Colton said. "The problem was, this individual wasn't having any part of it, he was a very motivated individual — he fought the dog, he fought me."

Ester punched, kicked and eventually threw the 68-pound Pino into the roadway. He also pummeled Colton in the chest, arms, shoulders and collar bone.

During the altercation, Colton struck Ester several times, while Pino bit Ester in the hands and upper torso.

Colton does not have a taser.

"I begged him to stop, told him repeatedly, 'There's no sense in this, you're not going to get away, you need to stop,'" Colton said.

Ester eventually stopped resisting and was placed under arrest. He later was taken to St. Lucie Medical Center and then to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach with severe hand wounds.

Colton received some injuries, but none required medical attention.

As for Pino, the scrappy police dog appeared ready for action at an afternoon news briefing while photographers snapped pictures and TV cameras rolled.

Ester is expected to face a variety of charges, officials said.

"Fortunately, I was in the right place at the right time," Colton said.

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