January 2021 Catch
DEPUTY NATHAN BAEHL
K-9 ALI
VANDERBURGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE (INDIANA)
On 01/10/2021 I responded to 2910 Nation Rd in Posey County to assist the Posey County Sheriff`s Office in locating a fleeing unsearched felon. This was two nights prior to K9 Ali retiring and his last track of his career. The Posey County Sheriff`s Office had been in a lengthy vehicle pursuit reaching speeds of 105 mph with a white Chevy Tahoe before the Tahoe entered a farm field and the subjects fled on foot. Deputy Luecke and I arrived on scene approximately 15 minutes after the subject had fled from the vehicle. Posey County Deputies Middleton, Pharr, and Albin advised they did not see the occupants flee from the vehicle and did not know which direction they had fled.
I placed K9 Ali in a tracking harness and on a 15 foot lead. I yelled two loud K9 warnings to the north and south "Sheriff`s Office K9, come out now or I will release the dog. You will get bit." When the driver failed to respond I commanded K9 Ali to track. As we approached the vehicle K9 Ali began pulling hard to the south entering a small wooded area. K9 Ali turned west pulling down a steep embankment and into a creek with approximately two feet of water. In the creek we located two sets of shoes, a cellular phone, and pink purse. K9 Ali continued west through the creek before exiting the creek approximately 20 yards upstream. K9 Ali pulled me back up the steep embankment and through a small wooded area. We then entered an open farm field and K9 Ali pulled hard in a southwest direction.
As we moved through the farm field we located a gray sweatshirt approximately 300 yards from the wood line. K9 Ali continued southwest through the field before reaching an IndianaState property boundary fence located at the William Keck Bypass. After traversing the fence K9 Ali continued south in the William Keck Bypass ditch line for approximately 75-100 yards before crossing the Bypass and entering the ditch line on the westside of the roadway. K9 Ali pulled me south down the ditch line before abruptly turning west where we had to traverse a second State property fence. K9 Ali continued west through a farm field until reaching a wood line with a large creek. K9 Ali turned north at the wood line and began pulling hard for several hundred yards. K9 Ali then entered the wood line, traversed an approximately 10 foot embankment and entered the creek with a foot of water. K9 Ali continued north in the creek for approximately 20 yards before traversing the opposite embankment and exiting the woods. K9 Ali turned northwest and pulled me up a dam to a large lake before turning back west. K9 Ali entered a subdivision just south of the lake and turned back west around the front of a residence. K9 Ali continued to pull west across the front of two residence before throwing his head up and turning back. K9 Ali pulled me back around to the rear of residence near the lake. After reaching the lake, K9 Ali turned back to the west and began pulling me along the rear of the residence before throwing his head up and circling around. We then began to work through the neighborhood. As we were working through the neighborhood we approached a residence under construction (about two houses from where K9 Ali began circling) and K9 Ali pulled hard up to an open garage door. We entered the structure and located all threw suspects hiding under construction material. The three suspects were wet and without shoes.
All three subjects were taken into custody by Posey County Deputies. K9 Ali never made contact with the three individuals. The track was approximately 1 mile long, traversed two creeks, several steep embankments, two woods, two fences, and a residential neighborhood before locating the subjects inside a structure.
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