Brunswick County K9 helps locate endangered patient who ran from hospital

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office is recognizing one of its K9 teams after helping safely locate an endangered patient who ran from a local hospital.

According to the sheriff’s office, Sgt. John Smith and K9 Tango were called to assist in the search on Aug. 8 after the patient ran from hospital security.

Deputies said Sgt. Smith deployed Tango from the area where the individual was last seen. The K9 quickly picked up the person’s scent and tracked through a wooded area before continuing across a nearby field, indicating the missing patient was close.

As the K9 team continued tracking, deputies stationed around the perimeter located the patient directly ahead of Tango’s path.

“Sgt. Smith and K9 Tango’s scent discriminate training helped to place search resources in the right place to quickly locate the endangered patient,” said Paul Coley, CEO of Scent Evidence K9.

The sheriff’s office said the incident demonstrates how specialized K9 training, teamwork and a coordinated law enforcement response can help bring potentially dangerous situations to a safe conclusion.