Taking a bite out of crime

The Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office is now equipped with a tool to help take a bite out of crime, and that tool, according to Sheriff Charles Guillory, can actually bite.
The newest commissioned officer for the sheriff’s office is certified in locating marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin and is a five-year old Belgian Malinois that was obtained from Illinois after the Land of Lincoln legalized marijuana.
“They had to get rid of all their K-9s,” Sheriff Guillory said, “so they were giving them to police departments and sheriff’s offices.”
Deputy Josh LaFleur found out about the available K-9s and got the ball rolling for one to be obtained by the local sheriff’s office at no cost to the department.
A community effort then ensued in order for the sheriff’s office to be ready for its newest officer. The kennel and other supplies were donated by Nicole Fruge, Anita Fontenot, Tate’s Livestock, State Representative Rhonda Butler, Ace Hardware, Jeanmard Incorporated, Teet’s Food Store, Louisiana Home Builders, and Industrial Supply.
After the K-9 was picked up in Kentucky, he along with his handler, Matthew Willis, had to attend training in Broussard.
“The dog was already trained, but we had to do a refresher and do training with the officer because they have to bond,” Sheriff Guillory said.
The sheriff went on to say his office is already seeing the effects of having a K-9 officer. “The word is already getting around, and the drug dealers are nervous,” he said. “They knew already I had a dog in training because people talk. I don’t care. I want them to know.”
The K-9 unit itself is also equipped with a Radar device which can lead to probable cause traffic stops. “If somebody is speeding,” the sheriff said, “you can stop them and write a ticket. Then, it can lead to other things. That’s what we’re after especially on the backroads where they transport dope like on the Meridian Road.
“‘Diego’ will be used in the parish to find and combat the illicit drugs that are being sold and transported through the parish,” the sheriff said. “This is another step we are putting in place to rid our parish of illegal drugs.”
The dog is also a dual purpose officer because he is trained in tracking and handler protection. Along with his previous hundreds of narcotics finds, he has tracked and located numerous missing people along with several criminal apprehensions.
Sheriff Guillory would like to express his sincere thank you to all who made this possible. He would like all businesses and the public to know if anyone is interested in making a donation to help with futher expense of “Diego,” they can call Captain Josh LaFleur or Major Scott Fontenot at the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office.