K 9

INWOOD, W.Va. - A police K-9 helped nab a fugitive wanted in Delaware on burglary charges and in Virginia for a parole violation, according to police. West Virginia State Police troopers, including T.C. Kearns and his dog Bram, went to a home on Chantilly Lane in Inwood Monday night after learning a fugitive may have been there. They made contact with the man, identified as John Wayne Wortman, 19, but he went out the home's back door, police alleged. Police chased him back inside, where he went into the basement and tried to escape through a side door, Sgt. Deke Walker said.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Thanks to a generous donation by one Greencastle family, a four-legged officer will join the Borough Police force as early as this summer and help the small department take a bigger bite out of local crime. The Greencastle Borough Council voted Monday to accept the donation from a local man who police said offered to pay for a K-9 officer for the department after a personal brush with crime. Adding a K-9 officer is a big step for the borough, which less than two years ago was a predominately part-time police force.

Cayenne and Romeo's first litter has done such a good job with their training to become drug-detection dogs for Maryland prisons that another litter of prison puppies is on the way. An ultrasound was conducted Nov. 15 at Mid-Atlantic Veterinary Hospital, determining that Cayenne was carrying at least nine black Labrador puppies, said Maj. Peter Anderson, K-9 commander for the Maryland Division of Correction. Cayenne gave birth to 12 puppies shortly before Thanksgiving 2006.

K-9 retires in W.Va. By ANDREW SCHOTZ / Staff Writer, Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Jerro the German shepherd's 4 1/2-year career of tracking criminals, sniffing for illegal drugs and protecting police officers ended Sunday. West Virginia State Police Sr. Trooper J.A. Laing had noticed that Jerro, his K-9 partner, was losing stamina, so he forced him to retire. Laing said that Jerro, who is almost eight years old, is still one of the state police's top dogs.

By KIMBERLY YAKOWSKI / Staff Writer photo: JOE CROCETTA / staff photographer Straining against his leash, 2-year-old German shepherd Andy knows he has a job to do and can't wait to get started. Given the command to search by Deputy James Grimm, the animal quickly goes to work sniffing out drugs hidden underneath the license plate of a Washington County Sheriff's Department cruiser. Having found the drugs in the practice drill within 30 seconds, Andy sits at attention staring at the hiding place.

Man bite initiates K-9 bill ANNAPOLIS - Eno was trying to subdue a man in Thurmont, Md., as part of his job with the Frederick County Sheriff's Department last week when the man took a bite out of the 3-year-old German shepherd's ear. The man-bites-dog story is no joking matter to the dog's handler, Cpl. John Williams, who joined other police officials Tuesday in support of legislation that would impose civil penalties on people who...

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - To help fight crime in the Town of Bath, the K-9 program recently received $6,000 from State Farm Insurance. The State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship grant was awarded through Luke Christie, the company's Morgan County agent in Berkeley Springs. "This is the type of community need that our grant program is intended to serve. I am quite pleased it was awarded, and I know it will be put to good use," Christie said. K-9 Officer Butch, a male German shepherd, has been with the police department since March and works with his handler, Bath Police Cpl. Craig Pearrell.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com HEDGESVILLE, W.Va. ? A 73-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease was found in a heavily wooded area Thursday afternoon, nearly 18 hours after she wandered away from her home, police said. The woman was found by a search and rescue dog named Shilo, whose handler, Elaine Merceruio, is with EVAK K-9 Search and Rescue, the West Virginia State Police said. Police did not release the woman's name, citing her medical condition. She lives in the Cherry Run Village subdivision outside of Hedgesville.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - A 29-year-old Berkeley Springs man was charged recently after Town of Bath police officers caught him with the help of Butch, the department's K-9 officer. Michael Waugh, of 363 Wilkes St., was charged with domestic violence/battery and fleeing from a police officer on Friday. Bath Police Cpl. Craig Pearrell and Butch responded to a domestic violence dispute about 6 p.m. last Friday, Minton said. According to the police report, Pearrell said a man would not come to the front door and then left the house through a back window and ran into the woods.

marlob@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - With the recent acquisition of a young bloodhound, Steve McCarty's dreams of starting a volunteer K-9 search-and-rescue team in the four-state area are closer to coming true. "Right now, I'm a team of one," said the Maryland State Police sergeant who is offering his services as a private citizen wherever needed. He is actively seeking others who want to join him in that endeavor. In addition to enjoying his work with dogs, McCarty has another reason for wanting to start a K-9 search-and-rescue team.

Between the two of them, Jefferson County Sheriff's Department Corporals Dustin Tabler and Vincent Tiong made 79 of the 123 DUI arrests the department racked up in 2012. Sheriff Pete Dougherty recognized Tabler's 47 arrests and the 32 DUI arrests by Tiong on Wednesday during a National Police Week event at the department's headquarters in Kearneysville, W.Va. According to Tabler and Tiong, an arresting officer normally needs up to 3 1/2 hours to process a DUI arrest. “That's true for the newer people, but we've got it down to a science,” Tabler said.

William Max McLaughlin VFW Post 695 of Waynesboro recently contributed $10,000 to a Sept. 11, 2001, memorial being developed in Washington Township, Pa. It was the largest single donation to date toward the project.

Groupon Grassroots selected Vested Interest in K-9s Inc. as its charity partner for the event, which raised more than $155,000 in eight days, according to the news release. Through an online $10 donation, people could purchase a groupon, which is a tax-deductible donation, through a secure website, according to the news release. All funds were allocated to purchase ballistic vests for police department K-9s. Vested Interest in K-9s, a nonprofit organization, will be able to provide bulletproof vests to more than 150 K-9s across the nation as a result of the funds raised, according to the release.

Argos, the Martinsburg Police Department's newest K-9, will receive a bulletproof vest thanks to a nationwide animal-related groupon event that ran from March 13 to 20, according to a police department news release. Groupon Grassroots selected Vested Interest in K-9's Inc. as its charity partner for the event. Through an online $10 donation, people could purchase a groupon, which is a tax-deductible donation, through a secure website. All funds were allocated to purchase ballistic vests for police department K-9s, according to the release.

A man robbed the Family Dollar Store, at 921 Pennsylvania Ave., of an undisclosed amount of money after showing a store clerk a large kitchen knife, according to a news release from the Hagerstown Police Department. The incident occurred at about 8:40 p.m. Saturday, police said. The man fled north on foot, but a K-9 track ended after a few blocks with no results, police said. Anyone with information about the incident may contact the police department's Criminal Investigation Division.

Thumbs up to John Reece, a Hagerstown resident and breeder who donated a 17-week-old female bloodhound to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Bess, who will be trained to track missing children and patients who stray due to dementia and other illnesses, will join five other dogs in the department's K-9 program. Sheriff Douglas Mullendore said such a dog typically would cost the department $4,000 to $6,000. Thumbs up to the Boonsboro Town Council, which unanimously approved a resolution to allow the town to participate in Sustainable Maryland Certified, a statewide program that encourages and empowers communities to “go green.” Boonsboro is the first town in Washington County to sign up for the program, which assists municipalities by offering training to improve cost savings while conserving resources.

An anonymous donor in August offered $3,000 for the purchase of a new K-9 dog for the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office, but the acceptance of the gift apparently is in doubt because of conditions attached to it. Sheriff Kenneth Lemaster said on Tuesday that he believes acceptance of the gift would be in violation of ethics rules because the donation was designated for a particular officer - Deputy Tim Sherman, one of the department's K-9 handlers -...

Butch, a German shepherd K-9 police dog and partner of Berkeley Springs Police Chief Craig Pearrell, was put down Saturday morning. The dog recently had a health problem, suffering a series of seizures, according to a news release issued by Pearrell. Butch became the town's K-9 officer in February 2007. He was purchased from Mike Mayes of Battle Ridge K-9 with funding from local citizens and businesses. During his five years of service, Butch was responsible for hundreds of drug busts, assisting with crowd control and assisting in the tracking of lost residents in the local area.

A dementia patient who was last seen about 2 p.m. Wednesday in the 15000 block of Falling Waters Road has been found, according to a Washington County Sheriff's Office spokesman. Lt. Tom Newton said he believes the 84-year-old man was found in a field close to his home. The man seemed OK other than being a little dehydrated, Newton said just before 8 p.m. A Maryland State Police helicopter and K-9 unit were used to look for the man.

A Hagerstown man was charged with possession of crack cocaine after he was pulled over during a traffic stop Wednesday night in Frederick, Md., the Frederick Police Department said. Eddie Paul Jouvert, 43, of 50 Summit Ave., also was charged with possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine, according to a police news release. Officers said a K-9 unit detected the drugs after Jouvert was pulled over at 9:37 p.m. in the area of Key Parkway and Bel Air Lane.