SIDNEY, Ohio (WEWS)—A Shelby County Sheriff’s Office K-9 is being hailed as a hero for sniffing out the location of a missing 3-year-old child on Oct. 8.
Just before 1 p.m., deputies responded to the 15000 block of Sidney-Plattsville Road, Sidney, in Shelby County for a report of a missing child, according to authorities.
Within minutes of arriving on scene, K-9 Bandit picked up the scent and led his handler to the missing child, the department stated.
“This is exactly why we have dog units, watching this track you could tell very well that Bandit had the scent of the child and was well on his way to finding him,” the department said in a Facebook post.
Remembering the Heroism of Beloved K-9 Officer ‘Jethro’
K-9 officer Jethro and his partner Officer Ryan Davis of Canton Police Department, Ohio, responded to an intruder alarm in the early hours of the morning. They had no idea at the time that it was to be their last assignment together.
The K-9 officer along with Canton Police Department Officer Ryan Davis was responding to a burglary alarm at the Fishers Food grocery store as per ABC. Jethro quickly located the man, then-22-year-old Kelontre D. Barefield, of Cleveland, and the armed suspect opened fire.
Good morning. Jethro is still resting. Chris posted a new pic of him on our Instagram page @policek9association This is…
اس پر Police K-9 Association نے شائع کیا اتوار، 10 جنوری، 2016
The 3-year-old German shepherd, who had worked with Davis for a year and a half, sustained three bullet wounds. Davis returned fire and shot Barefield in the leg; Barefield was later apprehended near the store with non-life-threatening injuries, and no police officers were caught in the crossfire.
Sadly, Jethro’s injuries had done too much damage. After a 32-hour battle, the dog passed away in the morning of Jan. 10, 2016. Jethro had not been wearing a bulletproof vest when he was shot, but officers knew that bodily protection would not have prevented his fatal injuries.
Here's an update for K9 Jethro. He was shot numerous times and the bullets missed all the vital organs and bones. Brain…
اس پر Police K-9 Association نے شائع کیا ہفتہ، 9 جنوری، 2016
Killing a K-9 officer is a third-degree felony. Barefield pleaded guilty and received 45 years behind bars. According to The Columbus Dispatch, he seemed “remorseful.”
A year and a half after Jethro’s untimely passing, a commemorative statue was erected in the Canton memorial cemetery. “The K9 Jethro statue has finally made it to its rightful place,” the K-9 Association posted on Facebook. “It’s magnificent.”
The cemetery is open to the public, and mourners pay their respects to this day.
اس پر Police K-9 Association نے شائع کیا جمعرات، 21 ستمبر، 2017
The CNN Wire and Epoch Times reporter Louise Bevan contributed to this report.
