Georgetown police ask for ‘grace and understanding’ after incident involving police dog
The Georgetown Police Department is investigating after an incident involving one of its police dogs in which one person was bitten and an officer also was hurt.
The police department said it happened at about 6 p.m. Aug. 1.
“When officers arrived at the scene, they located a victim suffering from a dog bite wound,” the department said in a statement Tuesday night. “An officer also suffered physical injuries while attempting to remove K9 Rex from the premises. As a result, K9 Rex is no longer in service for our Agency.”
On Wednesday, the police department clarified that Rex was euthanized during the incident.
Sgt. Brandon Wallen said Tuesday the incident happened at the home of one of the handlers, and Rex was not on duty when it occurred.
He said the victim and officer’s injuries were not life-theatening.
Georgetown police said in a statement Wednesday that Rex bit one of his handler’s family members, and Georgetown police and a neighboring law enforcement agency responded to remove the dog from the premises. Four of the officers who responded were trained K9 handlers, according to police.
While they were working to remove him, police said Rex became aggressive, pinned one of the handlers down and “maintained a strong bite,” refusing to respond to commands to let go.
“In the interest of the life and safety of the officer, the difficult decision was made to euthanize K9 Rex,” police said in the statement.
The department said they consider what happened “a critical incident.”
“K9 Rex was a valued partner, and his loss is deeply felt by all,” the statement read.
Georgetown police welcomed Rex to the department in an August 2023 Facebook post, saying he and his handler, Officer Will Lykins, had just finished a six-week basic K9 handler course in South Carolina.
“Rex is a 1 ½ years old, dual purpose, Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix,” the post stated. “We are very excited to see this handler and K9 team work together.”
Last September, the department shared a photo of Rex on Facebook, saying he had alerted during a traffic stop, helping find pills and suspected methamphetamine concealed in a hard-shelled case held underneath the vehicle by magnets.
“We are very proud of you Rex,” the post stated. “You are a good boy!”
Wallen said the Georgetown Police Department has one other K-9 unit besides Rex.
“As a community, we ask for your grace and understanding,” the police department said in its statement Tuesday. “Please keep our officers, specifically our handlers and their families, in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 8:06 PM.
