Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard announces two successful canine tracks conducted yesterday that located and returned two elderly individuals back to their families. The first incident occurred in Grand Island around 3:34 P.M. Tuesday when a Love Road resident went missing from her home. A care provider noticed the 80-year-old female had walked away from the house while he was working in the yard. The care giver started yelling for the individual and walked around the yard but could not locate her. Deputy Was (Waz) was the first to arrive at the scene followed by Deputy Galbraith and his canine partner Apollo, as well as other Deputies. A perimeter was established, and the K9 team initiated a track through a wooded area adjacent to the house. Apollo tracked a trail through the woods and located the woman wandering through the woods. She was found in good health and was reunited with her family after a 40-minute search. The second incident happened around 10:15 P.M. in the Town of Clarence along Hedgewood Drive. A home care aide called 911 after they had noticed the 79-year-old male resident was not in the house. Shortly after the arrival of Deputies Klemp and Arney, Deputy Lundberg and his partner, Haso, joined the search. Haso’s track lasted less than fifteen minutes when the team located the male in a wooded area along Hedgewood. The elderly male was found in good health and Deputies transported him home. Deputies Galbraith and Lundberg went through the same police work dog academy together in 2015, and are certified K9 handlers with tracking and other discipline certifications from New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. The training and acquisition of the police work dogs were paid for using assets seized during drug raids.
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