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Long Track Ends
Successfully

N JULY, A KENNEBEC COUNTY

(ME) Sheriff’s Office K- 9 tracked a fleeing suspect for two hours through fields, woods, and across a river, finally cornering the man behind a used car lot office building. The 5.5-mile chase ended with the suspect in custody and the K- 9, handled by Cpl. George Neagle, rewarded for a job well done.

PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF ACEK9.COM

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The incident began with a traffic stop. At 3: 30 a.m. on July 2, Officer Haley Fleming clocked a vehicle traveling at 92 mph in a 50-mph zone. After a brief chase, the car pulled over and the driver jumped out and ran across a field. A foot pursuit began, but officers lost the man’s trail in a wooded area. During the chase, the man fell many times and appeared to be intoxicated. When the officers returned to the suspect vehicle, they found a female passenger who was covered with blood, as was the inside of the car. Officers called the Rescue Squad and a K- 9 backup. The K- 9 arrived, was taken to the wooded area, and the track began.

■ Above: Officer Glen Hageman and K- 9 Karo of the Janesville (WI) Police Department were featured on the cover of the July/August 2010 issue but were not identified. We apologize for the oversight and thank the team for a great training shot.

Officer Fleming later remarked that he and the other three officers who joined the pursuit were all runners, so the long chase wasn’t all that exhausting. Nevertheless, the pace was rapid, and Cpl. Neagle reported that it “was one of the longest yet most successful tracks he has had” with the K- 9 Unit.

When the K- 9 located the suspect,
the man clearly was afraid of the dog
and surrendered with a minimum of
struggle. Like his car and passenger, the
shirtless suspect also was covered with
blood, although the source was un-
clear. He was charged with operating
under the influence, operating with a
suspended license, resisting arrest,
speeding at more than 30 mph over
the limit, criminal mischief, and
violating conditions of his parole.

Bad Day for
Drug Runners

N AMUSING COINCIDENCE
Officers with the Fife (WA) Police
Department recently spotted a man
sitting in his Ford Explorer in an area
known for prostitution and watched
him to see what he was up to. As they
observed him, another man appeared
from behind some bushes dragging two
large duffel bags, which he placed in
the Explorer. The second man re-
turned to the bushes, retrieved two
more bags, and placed them in the
vehicle. The officers became suspicious
and attempted to approach the men,

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but they drove off. A chase ensued and the driver drove down a dead-end street, stopped the vehicle, and the pair tried to run. However, the men came to a screeching halt when they realized that coincidentally they had stopped at a spot where more than a dozen police K- 9 officers were conducting a training session. Seeing all the cops and dogs caused the men to quickly surrender.

When officers searched the vehicle, they discovered the cocaine, and arrested the two men on drug trafficking charges.

Dog Fatally Injured in Training

N ALACHUA COUNTY (FL)

Sheriff’s Office K- 9 died after he leaped over a retaining wall in the stadium where he was training for bomb detection and severely injured himself. K- 9 King was a Belgian Malinois who had been with the agency for approximately six months.