Died – 11\/14 20
\nHandler – Deputy Bush<\/p>\n
Bartholomew County Sheriff K9 killed in pursuit<\/p>\n
The Bartholomew County Sheriff\u2019s Department is grieving the loss of one their K9s who was killed while chasing a suspect in the county Saturday afternoon. K9 Diesel was killed at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday while attempting to cross I-65 in pursuit of an individual who was wanted for strangulation and battery in a domestic violence incident, said Sheriff Matt Myers. The individual, who is not being identified at this time, was also wanted on a warrant. He was apprehended after being found hiding in a ravine near I-65, Myers said. Diesel, a German Shepherd, had been with the sheriff\u2019s department since 2016, assigned to handler Deputy Matt Bush. Diesel, who joined the department in 2016, was purchased with funds from Real World Testing LLC in Columbus and then dispatcher and now Deputy Dylan Prather, who individually raised $18,000 to obtain the dog for the department. Diesel was known to aggressively go after suspects and was used extensively to find drugs in vehicles, and to search for suspects who had fled from police. His handler told The Republic at one time that the K9 loved to chase balls, appreciated belly rubs and did not like to be ignored. The incident that led to Diesel\u2019s death began on day shift, when a domestic battery was reported to the sheriff\u2019s department, Myers said. The suspect had fled prior to the deputies arriving. n to the afternoon shift and deputies were in the area of County Road 600S and 250W when the individual was found and Bush attempted to stop the suspect\u2019s vehicle, Myers said. The suspect got out of his vehicle and ran, and Bush warned the individual that he would release Diesel if the suspect didn\u2019t stop. When the suspect kept running, Diesel was released. Bush stayed at the scene with two other people who were in the suspect\u2019s vehicle. Deputies believe Diesel following the individual across the interstate, but the deputies did not see the dog being hit by the vehicle and killed. They only learned what had happened to Diesel when attempts to call him back were unsuccessful. The department initially believes the dog was struck, but now are investigating if Diesel was stabbed or injured while chasing the suspect, leading to the dog\u2019s death, Myers said. A driver on the interstate stopped to remove the dog from the interstate, Myers said. The initial examination of the dog does not show massive trauma that would be expected if the dog was hit by a vehicle traveling at high speeds, and the department will investigate if being hit by a vehicle was the actual cause of Diesel\u2019s death.\u201cOur K9 officer and all the deputies and the entire department is very shook up, this is a loss,\u201d Myers said. \u201cDiesel was an excellent dog.\u201d The department wants to give Bush and his family time with Diesel to grieve the loss before any arrangements are announced. \u201cThis is a sad day for the sheriff\u2019s office,\u201d Myers said. \u201cThat dog was a police dog and he was a service dog and he was working when he died. It\u2019s a sad day in Columbus. My heart goes out to Matt and all the deputies.\u201d The victim in the domestic battery was also said to have been taken to a hospital for injuries. Diesel was taken to the sheriff\u2019s department where his handler and his family were given time with the K9. \u201cI am absolutely heartbroken,\u201d said Bartholomew County Sheriff Matthew A. Myers. \u201cI am stuck at home with COVID when I need to be with my deputies.\u201d The sheriff\u2019s department said this is a time for mourning for both their agency and the community. They will not release any further information at this time in honor of both the time for mourning and the active and ongoing investigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 11\/14 20 Handler – Deputy Bush Bartholomew County Sheriff K9 killed in pursuit The Bartholomew County Sheriff\u2019s Department is grieving the loss of one their K9s who was killed while chasing a suspect in the county Saturday afternoon. K9 Diesel was killed at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday while attempting to cross I-65 in …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-9642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-in"],"yoast_head":"\n