Virginia K-9 dies after falling 50 feet from bridge while searching for tossed gun
STAUNTON, Virginia – A Virginia K-9 died in the line of duty Monday after falling from a bridge while searching for a gun tossed by a suspect during a pursuit with police.
Cara, a 3-year-old Labrador retriever, joined the Staunton City Sheriff’s Office in 2018 trained as an explosives detection dog, the News Leader reported.
She had found two guns for the agency in the past, and was working with her handler Capt. Ryan Insana, helping the Skyline Drug Task Force after a suspect threw a firearm during a chase on Old White Bridge Road.
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“That’s what she was good at,” Staunton City sheriff Matt Robertson told the News Leader. “She was good at finding guns.”
During her search for the gun, Cara fell at least 50 feet from a bridge. The fall broke her back. She was taken to an emergency veterinarian where she died. A handgun and drugs were recovered at the scene.
“Cara was known for her friendly demeanor, never meeting a stranger, not having a mean bone in her body and her love for everyone, especially the kids she met,” the agency said on social media.
She will be cremated. Officials are also looking into having a service for her.
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“She was a big part of our family at the office, so it’s hard,” Robertson said. “I want to do something for her,” he said. “She was a deputy. She was a member of our department.”
https://twitter.com/StauntonCityVA/status/1341418223317741568
It all started around 8 p.m. when Staunton police and Augusta sheriff’s deputies noticed a suspect in a vehicle who was wanted on warrants as they finished an unrelated investigation at a Walmart. Authorities made contact with the occupants. However, the driver, Brandi R. Campbell, took off, striking two officers, when they tried to arrest the passenger, Christopher Hoylman, investigators said.
Campbell led authorities on a nearly 20 minute pursuit. The vehicle was eventually stopped and three people were detained. One person was released. Campbell and Hoylman were taken into custody on outstanding warrants, officials said.
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Campbell, 28, was arrested and charged with possession of controlled substances, eluding, obstruction of justice/fleeing from law enforcement and operating a motor vehicle on a revoked/suspended license, according to the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office. She was being held without bail.
Hoylman, 28, was arrested and charged with possession of controlled substances, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm while in possession of drugs and obstruction of justice/fleeing from law enforcement, investigators said.
