PORT ANGELES — Jag is back.
The Port Angeles police dog that was severely cut in an ill-fated leap over a barbed wire fence last month caught a man wanted for escape from state community custody in the Gales Addition east of the city limit early Tuesday.
Jag, a 2-year-old Belgian malinois from Germany, helped Port Angeles officers and Clallam County deputies detain Dennis Foust in a patch of blackberry bushes at the 2200 block of E. Seventh St. at 3 a.m.
Foust was wanted on a felony warrant from the Department of Corrections for escaping from community custody.
“The Department of Corrections picked him up shortly after we arrested him,” said Clallam County Sheriff’s Sgt. John Keegan.
Keegan knew no more about Foust’s alleged escape.
Jag was nominated for a police Purple Heart after he ruptured an artery hopping over a sharp fence in May.
A police Purple Heart is a law enforcement medal that can be issued to any police officer who is wounded or killed in the line of duty.
“He went back to work pretty quickly from what I understand,” said Brian Smith, Deputy Chief of the Port Angeles Police Department.
Jag has been working the beat for 11 months.
His handler is Port Angeles Police Cpl. Kevin Miller.
“This is his third capture,” Smith said.
A second police dog, Kilo, has been working in Port Angeles since 2003.
“They provide a force multiplier,” Smith said.
“A dog can resolve a situation quickly and safely in a situation a human may not ever resolve.”
Police dogs use a keen sense of smell to track a suspect and a fighter’s instinct to detain him or her.
Bit his leg
In Tuesday’s arrest, Foust sustained bumps and scrapes from the blackberry bush and a bite to the leg from Jag, Smith said.
After a brief struggle with the dog, Foust complied with officers and Jag released his grip.
The dog was not injured.
“The work they do is dangerous,” Smith said about the police dogs.
“I’m very happy we’ve got the two K-9 officers. I think it really adds to our service.”
The Sheriff’s Department received a tip from the Department of Corrections on Foust’s possible location. Deputies called for K-9 backup at 2:52 a.m., Smith said.
Ten officers formed a perimeter around the residence before Foust was detained.
The dog started his scent track where Foust had last been seen. He led officers to an opening in the fence that led into the blackberry patch.
Jag latched onto Foust after a five-minute search.
Sheriff’s deputies booked Foust into the Clallam County jail on investigation of Department of Corrections escape, obstructing police officers and possession of methamphetamine.
Smith and Keegan were unaware of Foust’s status Tuesday evening.
The Sheriff’s Office helps fund the Port Angeles Police K-9 unit.
“It’s a lot harder to get a K-9 program than to keep one,” Smith said.
“Our two dogs are well-used throughout the county.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
