Douglas County drug dog dies in patrol car fire
Feb 3, 2006, 12:06 PM EST
Douglas County sheriff's deputies are mourning the loss of one their K-9 dogs following an early morning fire.
Sergeant Tom Mezzetta with the Douglas County Sheriff's Department says Deputy Rick Koontz responded to a call in the area of Airport Road and Meridian Boulevard in Minden just before 2:00 AM.
Deputy Koontz and another deputy found an open door to a business and searched the premises. When Koontz returned -- approximately 20 minutes later -- he found his patrol car completely engulfed in flames. Mezzetta says Koontz ran to the car and when the door failed to open he smashed out a window to get to the dog.
Four-year-old Jon-Jon died in the fire. John-John was a black lab and had worked with Deputy Koontz as a narcotics dog for the past three years.
Mezzetta says the preliminary investigation is pointing to a problem with the after-market wiring on the patrol vehicle as the cause of the fire.
Deputy Koontz was not injured.
Anna
Feb 3, 2006, 12:06 PM EST
Douglas County sheriff's deputies are mourning the loss of one their K-9 dogs following an early morning fire.
Sergeant Tom Mezzetta with the Douglas County Sheriff's Department says Deputy Rick Koontz responded to a call in the area of Airport Road and Meridian Boulevard in Minden just before 2:00 AM.
Deputy Koontz and another deputy found an open door to a business and searched the premises. When Koontz returned -- approximately 20 minutes later -- he found his patrol car completely engulfed in flames. Mezzetta says Koontz ran to the car and when the door failed to open he smashed out a window to get to the dog.
Four-year-old Jon-Jon died in the fire. John-John was a black lab and had worked with Deputy Koontz as a narcotics dog for the past three years.
Mezzetta says the preliminary investigation is pointing to a problem with the after-market wiring on the patrol vehicle as the cause of the fire.
Deputy Koontz was not injured.
Anna
