Sheriff K-9s come to the rescue to help frightened children.

Sheriff K-9s come to the rescue to help frightened children.

The kids were riding with a drunk driver whose BAC registered at three times the legal limit.

Oceana County Sheriff’s Office K-9 officers, Krieger and Laz, and their handler Sgt. Cam Hanson went above and beyond the call of duty Friday night, April 22, to help two scared children.

The kids were riding with a drunk driver whose blood alcohol content (BAC) registered at three times the legal limit.

“Last night, deputies received a call for a possible intoxicated driver on US 31,” states a post on the Oceana County Sheriff K-9 Facebook page Saturday morning, April 23. “Deputies arrived in the area and located an intoxicated driver (three times the legal limit) who was subsequently arrested. 

“There were two young children who were in the vehicle and frightened by the situation at hand. They were both brought back to our department where arrangements were made to join them with other safe, sober family members.

“Over the course of a couple of hours while waiting, the kids got a chance to have their own meet and greet with the famous Krieger and Laz. We played ‘Hot Potato’ and ‘Telephone’ while laughing, having a good time, and eating chips and cookies.

Krieger

“This very well might have been their first contact with law enforcement. We had an

opportunity to make the experience positive, even in light of what was a negative circumstance, out of their control. It’s important for these young kids to know that we are safe, and they can come to us for help.

“At the end of the night, I gave them both their own K-9 plushies to help them remember their positive time with the police,” stated Sgt. Hanson. “People sometimes ask where the K-9 donation money goes when the calendars and plushies are purchased. If it’s not going for the care of the dogs, it gets poured back into the community with love. You, as a community, helped brighten what could have been a forever terrible memory. The dogs bridged the gap between frightened children and the ‘scary’ police officers.”

Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.

This story is copyrighted © 2022, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.

As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.