BENTON HARBOR, Michigan – Deputy Brandon Crosby and K9 Blek (pronounced “blue”) of the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office received an Exceptional Service Award from the North American Police Work Dog Association at their National Workshop in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
@ SteveCampbellPhotography.com / Berrien County Sheriff’s Office
The award was the result of their actions during a March 25, 2020 incident involving a suspect who was evicted from Portage, according to a press release on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old suspect is said to have been armed and dangerous while traveling in a vehicle with his one-year-old daughter.
He was involved in a chase in Van Buren County before entering Berrien County. Because the child was in the vehicle, the vehicle was not tracked in Berrien County.
MPs saw the vehicle drive on Pipestone Road near Britain Avenue in Benton Harbor and later found it abandoned near the intersection of East Main and Butternut Streets in Benton Charter Township.
A perimeter was set up and Crosby and K9 Blek began tracking down the wanted man.
He was found hiding behind a shed on the 1200 block of Vincent Court.
K9 Blek arrested the man by biting his arm.
The child was also found unharmed behind the shed.
The officers later found a gun near where the suspect vehicle was abandoned.
No one was seriously injured in the incident, the sheriff’s office said, although both the wanted man and his daughter were treated at Spectrum Health Lakeland.
The daughter was returned to her mother.
