PUTNAM COUNTY, FL – Late Friday evening deputies were called to a home of a distressed man who was holding a firearm and making threats to self-harm. When deputies arrived the man had fled the home. Concerned for the man’s safety and others, K9 Jaeger arrived on the scene to track.
Using scent articles, Jaeger successfully found the man who was hiding about 50 yards from the residence. After Deputy Sharp announced his presence, the man extended his arms from the bushes and patrol deputies from the West district were able to secure him.
While K9 Jaeger is often used as a means to apprehend a suspect, he and our other K9s are trained to assist in tracking individuals. Due to this person threatening self-harm and the possibility that he was armed and could hurt himself or others, K9 Jaeger was used with a short leash for tracking using a scent article that allowed him to distinguish the person deputies were searching for in an area heavily traveled and with many other scents.
Our deputies train weekly with our K9s to continue to serve the community in the best practices available under the guidance of Sgt. Emmett Merritt. Their training along with the experience our road deputies have in working with our K9 units demonstrate the teamwork needed to quickly resolve situations like this one.