Tis the Season: Incredible K9 Decked Out in Santa Suit Takes Down 3 Suspects
A police dog named Stark has a message for criminals this Christmas season:
Ho-ho-hope you have a good lawyer.
Yes, I know, I probably should have resisted a dad joke at the top of this story, but it’s the kind of lighthearted piece that lends itself to that sort of thing. (I’d like to point out that I still think my dad joke was better than that of The Oregonian’s Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, who went with “He knows if you’ve been bad or good.”)
The point is, it’s a police dog in a Santa outfit that took down a bunch of alleged perps in Washington County, Oregon. How much cooler or more Christmasy can you get than that?
According to The Oregonian, Stark managed to capture three suspects in separate incidents in just one shift on Thursday, and he did it all dressed as Kris Kringle.
“The costumed crusader — a half German Shepherd, half Belgian Malinois mix — kicked off the trio of busts by sniffing out a domestic violence suspect hiding under a pile of clothes in the bedroom of a home in the 16000 block of Southwest Hillary Place in Aloha, the sheriff’s office said.”
The suspect, 39-year-old Michael Johnson, was booked “on a host of charges, including robbery, strangulation and domestic assault” by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Johnson also appears in his mugshot without a shirt, which is so seldom a good augury.
After apprehending our shirtless wonder, Stark was back on the streets, searching for a man suspected of smashing in a car window in Metzger.
“Around midnight he located Trevor Bates, 25, cowering inside a different car, said Deputy Jeff Talbot,” The Oregonian reported. “Bates was jailed on counts of criminal mischief, felon in possession of a firearm and other suspected charges.” He did, however, have a shirt on.
Finally, Stark tracked down 22-year-old Briawnna Raby in Beaverton after a welfare check. Raby, a resident of Portland, had an outstanding warrant and was taken into custody.
While Stark is known for his costumes — he’s dressed up for Halloween and donned ugly sweaters, among other fun getups — he deserves even more props for his work on the job.
With Thursday’s captures, Stark’s career total of apprehensions stands at 186, a fairly impressive total for any four-legged law enforcement officer.
“He just loves searching, it’s his favorite thing,” Cpl.l Micah Akin, Stark’s human partner, told KPTV-TV.
And as for the outfit, he loves that too.
“He wore it all night long,” Akin said. “He loves Christmas.”
Stark might love his job, like the most successful police dogs.
But I can think of three suspects, however, who might not be quite so thrilled.
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