Catch of the Quarter 2018 (3rd)

DEPUTY GRIFFIN BUSH

K-9 ARCHIE

VANDERBURGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE (INDIANA)

In early September, 2018, deputies with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a welfare check on a subject. Once on scene, it was determined that the offender had been spiraling for two hours and was not acting like a normal person would. The person of suspicion was observed on scene by the reporting parties drinking several beers, but they believed he was on something else, because he was growling at subjects. Prior to deputies arriving, the offender took a firearm from his person and pointed it at the victim, pulled the hammer mechanism back and pulled the trigger multiple times. A short time before the suspect pointed the firearm, subjects on scene were able to take the weapon and remove the ammunition, but the offender was somehow able to get the firearm back. The offender pointed the weapon at the victim on two different occasions, pulling the trigger both times. Prior to our arrival, the suspect fled the scene running through the streets of the neighborhood with the handgun and was last seen by deputies at the intersection of Park Road and Radio Avenue traveling north.

Investigating deputies were not able to receive information that the offender had pointed the weapon at the victim and pulled the trigger until approximately 1 hour after the offender was last seen traveling north on Park Avenue. Due to the new information of Level (5) Felony Intimidation charges, I deployed my certified K9 partner, Archie on a 15 foot tracking lead and instructed him to search for odor at the intersection of Park and Radio. Archie started tracking down Park Avenue in the middle of the street over the crest of a hill. Archie continued north on Park in the street for approximately 300 yards, before he head snapped east looking at a vacant house. Archie hesitated in the street circling around, before he started pulling east into the yard. Archie continued to pull past the vacant house down a long rock driveway to a house secluded behind the initial one. Archie then pulled to the north of the second house and started to get low while closing his mouth to pick up more odor and pulled increasingly harder. Archie lead me to an old metal fence and kept showing interest to get over the fence.

Once I placed Archie over the fence, he pulled northeast again, before throwing his head and looking around. Archie placed his nose up in the air while circling around and started pulling me to an area as I observed our suspect lying on his back next to a tree under heavy vegetation. The offender appeared to be asleep with his hands on his chest, so I instructed him to show me his hands and not move. The offender awoke in a daze, but kept his hands where I could see them and complied with deputies before being taken into custody.

The offender was last seen by deputies at 1505 running down a street. Archie was deployed at 1600 and the suspect was taken into custody at 1610. The offenders last know whereabouts were unknown for 1 hour and 5 minutes before he was found by K9 Archie. Once the suspect was in custody, he would change his character, going from crying uncontrollably to growling and barking like a dog at deputies. The offender was taken to Deaconess Hospital to be checked out and later transported to the Vanderburgh County Detention Center and booked for Felony Intimidation with a weapon.

Griffin Bush/K9 Archie

Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office