‘Invaluable asset’: Florence County Sheriff’s Office K9 dies
FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — The Florence County Sheriff’s Office is honoring the life of Rico, a K9 with the sheriff’s office who died on Sunday at the age of 12.
K9 Rico, a Dutch Shepherd, was born on June 1, 2011, the sheriff’s office said. He started his career in law enforcement with the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office before spending nine years with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office.
With Florence County, Rico served on patrol, street crimes unit, SWAT and assisted the US Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force.
During his years of service, Rico was responsible for 10 physical apprehensions and 15 non-bite apprehensions, 14 article finds, $250,000 in seized money and the detection of countless drugs, guns and fugitives.
Rico and his partner, Cpl. Brooks Urquhart were the recipients of the American Police Canine Association President’s K9 Team Award in 2017 and 2018.
“Not only was Rico an amazing partner, but he was an invaluable asset in our arsenal to combat criminals and fugitives from justice,” Urquhart said in a news release.
The sheriff’s office has 13 canines that are specially-trained in apprehension, narcotics, explosive and accelerant detection and human tracking.
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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.
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