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The Dorchester County, South Carolina sheriff’s office is investigating the death of a K-9 officer who was reportedly found deceased in its handler’s car last weekend.
Very few details regarding the death of the K-9 are available so far… including the name of the deceased K9 and its handler.
Dorchester lieutenant Rick Carson would confirm only that the K-9 officer was at least five years old, worked with the agency and that its “untimely death” occurred on Sunday, July 28, 2024. A necropsy – i.e. an autopsy for a canine – has been ordered and an investigation is underway.
The necropsy will be conducted in Columbia, S.C. this week.
“It was our agency and no other statements will be made until the investigation is completed and the necropsy results have been received,” Carson said.
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Local television station WCSC TV-5 (CBS – Charleston, S.C.) is reporting that the K-9 was found dead in his handler’s car.
According to the DCSO website, the sheriff’s office has eleven certified K-9 officers that “assist with ensuring the safety of the citizens of Dorchester County.”
Dorchester’s K-9 unit “performs vehicle, residential, or area sweeps for narcotics and are used for ‘in-progress calls’ to assist with tracking and locating possible suspects,” according to the site.
“All K-9 officers maintain a high-level of proficiency and skills necessary to maintain their certification, they continue to attend various training classes and also train together as a unit, once a week,” the site continued. “This prepares the canine officer and officer handler for the many situations in which the dogs’ abilities and keen senses are needed to better serve their fellow officers and citizens in the community.”
FITSNews will continue to monitor this situation – and bring you the results of the investigation as soon as they become available.
BANNER VIA: DORCHESTER COUNTY
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Callie Lyons is a journalist, researcher and author. Her 2007 book ‘Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal’ was the first to cover forever chemicals and their impact on communities – a story later told in the movie ‘Dark Waters.’ Her investigative work has been featured in media outlets, publications, and documentaries all over the world. Lyons also appears in ‘Citizen Sleuth’ – a 2023 documentary exploring the genre of true crime.
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7 comments
Sad, he was so young and I’m sure very dedicated to his handler. Obviously the handler wasn’t as dedicated as him. A lot of Dorchester County are only dedicated to covering things up Sadly.
How sad, the handler of this precious K-9 needs to be held accountable for the death of this K-9. Sheriff do your job and stop covering this up.
Until they start taking the price of these dogs out of the officer’s salary nothing will change.
More elaborate doggie funerals coming, I guess. For a while not too long ago, cops in SC were spending more time attending doggie funerals than they were revenue collecting.
How many of these officers keep their jobs after killing their K9?
When a K-9 is killed by anyone without a magic badge the Thick Blue Line screams and demands their political bosses make them felons. When a K-9 is killed “in the line of duty” the dog has a funeral that might be for a sitting head of state and all the magic badges from across the land fills the tank on our credit cards, loads the Yukon, Mustang or F-150 with all their bat toys to gather for this wonderous event.
Contrast that with this incident. The K-9 will simply be disposed of and the “internal investigation” will include a slap on the wrist for the dumbass who committed the animal abuse.
Let’s also consider what might have happened if the shoe was on the other foot and the “perp” was a “civilian”?
Jeff, you hit the nail squarely on the head!