Officer Jack Anderson and his K-9 partner, Ike, were in the area of Fruit Valley and Laframbois roads at about 6 p.m. when a patrol unit was called to investigate a suspicious-person call, according to Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp.
The K-9 unit assisted with the call, which involved apprehending 25-year-old Jacky Chan Karuo who had outstanding arrest warrants and ran from police, Kapp said.
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| Vancouver Police Department K-9 team Ike and officer Jack Anderson. (Photo courtesy of VPD) |
When Ike made contact with Karuo, he allegedly stabbed the dog, according to police. The dog was taken to an emergency veterinarian for treatment of multiple stab wounds to his chest, back and head.
After surgery, Ike went into cardiac arrest and then into systemic organ failure, according to the animal hospital. Officer Anderson “made the difficult decision to end treatment and humanely euthanize him,” ending the dog’s life at 3 a.m. today, the hospital said in a press release.
“It is with much sadness that the Vancouver Police Department announces that K-9 Ike succumbed to his injuries,” the Vancouver Police Department said in a press release.
DoveLewis, which partners with law enforcement agencies in the area to keep police dog information on file for emergencies such as this, also offered its condolences.
“Ike was a very tough dog and both he and the DoveLewis medical team fought hard for his life last night,” DoveLewis CEO Ron Morgan said in a media release. “Ike gave his life protecting the citizens of Vancouver and he will be deeply missed.”
Karuo sustained dog bites and was shocked with a stun gun before being arrested, according to police.
On Wednesday morning, Karuo made a first appearance in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree criminal impersonation and harming a police dog. He’s also accused of violating his supervised release conditions in a pending stolen motor vehicle case, Deputy Prosecutor James Smith said. It’s possible the allegations against Karuo could change once the prosecuting attorney’s office files formal charges, Smith said.
Karuo, accompanied by a Trukese interpreter, said little during his hearing and kept his head bowed.
Judge Derek Vanderwood appointed Vancouver attorney Gregg Schile, who was not present at the hearing, to represent Karuo. Schile is also defending him in the other pending matter.
Smith requested that Karuo’s bail be set at $200,000 and that bail in his pending case be revoked.
“(He) poses a serious risk to law enforcement and the community in general,” Smith said, adding that Karuo allegedly stabbed Ike multiple times.
Vanderwood set bail at $125,000.
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| Jacky Chan Karuo appears in Clark County Superior Court Wednesday morning, Sept. 2, 2015, after Vancouver Police Department K-9 Ike was stabbed to death Tuesday night, Sept. 1, 2015. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian) |
Several officers with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office were present during Karuo’s hearing, including Undersheriff Mike Cooke.
“I and my other brother and sister law enforcement officers were in the courtroom today to show support for Officer Anderson and his family who’s obviously going through a very tough time right now,” Cooke told media after the hearing. “Anytime a law enforcement officer is hurt or killed in the line of duty, including K-9 officers, it hurts. So it’s important for us as law enforcement family to show support to our grieving colleagues and their families.”
Cooke said law enforcement officers are as dependent on their K-9 partners as their human partners.
“Each and every one of these types of incidents hurts us to the core. But, it’s important for people to know it’s not going to deter us from doing our job. We are still going to be out there on the front line every day doing what we need to do to keep these communities safe and we’re not going to let somebody like Mr. Karuo stop us from doing that,” he said.
During the hearing, a couple of people in the audience, Vancouver residents Toby Dittrich and Bridget Smolen, held up a sign that read, “The last K-9 killer got 30 years! I support the K-9 team.”
The sign references the death of a Portland Police Bureau dog in April 2014, where a fleeing suspect shot at police, wounding the K-9 officer and killing his police dog.
Dittrich said after the hearing that he and Smolen came “to support the (Vancouver Police Department’s) K-9 unit and brave officers who lead these dogs. And, to express disgust over this senseless act.
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| Bridget Smolen, left, and Toby Dittrich of Vancouver show their support for the K9 team during court Tuesday morning, Sept. 2, 2015 at Clark County Superior Court. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian) |
“K-9 officers never say no and always serve without fear,” he said. “We love dogs. Hopefully, the officer will heal and get a new K-9 officer.”
Ike was a Belgian Malinois who went into service in 2012.
This isn’t the first time a police dog has died by a suspect in Clark County. In 2011, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office lost police dog Kane after a suspect repeatedly stabbed the dog. Four years earlier, sheriff’s office K-9 Dakota was shot and killed while tracking an armed suspect who allegedly threatened to “kill a cop.”
Anderson’s previous K-9 partner, Farley, was stabbed in the chest while trying to subdue a homeless man in 2006. Farley survived his injuries and remained on until he died in 2011.
Harming a police dog, like first-degree animal cruelty, is a class C felony with a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The court may also impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for killing a police dog.
(The Columbian - Sept 2, 2015)
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