New Police Dog in York, Maine Finds Runaway Teen in Swampy Woods
First assignments on new jobs are always a little nerve wracking, but the stakes are rarely so high as they were for the York Maine Police Department's newest K-9 employee, Gunther the German Shepherd. He was a crucial element in finding a Surry teenager who had run away and been missing for several days.
Gunther tracked down the 14-year-old in a swampy wooded area off Cedar Hill Road Tuesday night after a vigilant off-duty Amtrak worker who had seen the police's missing person's report, according to Bangor Daily News.
When police followed the tip and located the teenager near 397 Cider Hill Road, he fled into the woods behind a nearby home. Patrolman Jon Rogers and K9 Gunther responded to track the boy through dense, swampy woods. Gunther found him hiding in thick reeds near the river in under five minutes, BDN reports.
“The dog went right to him,” said Lt. Steve Spofford. “We were able to get the kid and get him to a safe space.”
The 14-year-old was escorted out of the woods and transported to the York Hospital emergency room for evaluation.
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