Bladen County Sheriff’s Office reflects on success of K-9 unit

BLADEN COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - The Bladen County Sheriff’s Office has added a second four-legged deputy to their team.

According to the sheriff’s office, the new dog is also a malinois, just like three- year veteran K-9 Jaxx.

Earlier this month, Sgt. Daniel Clark and K-9 Jaxx found a missing man in Clarkton who had dementia. The man wandered from his home, but when Sgt. Clark and Jaxx were called, they quickly picked up his scent, located the victim behind a bush and got him home safely to his worried family.

“The dog will tell you- after you’ve been with your dog for so long- he will tell you. He was telling me, ‘hey there’s somebody up ahead,’" said Sgt. Clark. “I put Jaxx in down position and advanced a little bit just to see what was up ahead, and there was the missing subject.”

This is just one example of the impact the unit has had on the community.

“He’s my best friend off duty, he’s the best partner I’ve ever had," said Sgt. Clark.

There are plenty of cases that might have turned out differently had Jaxx and Sgt. Clark not been there.

Sheriff McVicker believes his K-9 unit is one of the best.

“My heart-rate goes down when we have a bad situation and I know Sgt. Clark and his K-9 are there," said Sheriff McVicker. "They’re part of the family, the K-9’s is, but my officer’s safety is number one and I do believe that Jaxx has kept officers from being hurt in the past.”

Together K-9 Jaxx and Sgt. Clark have helped other agencies make at least eight federal arrests in the three years the team has been together.

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