Tuesday, September 10th, 2013

New Coldwater 'officer' on the beat

By Eric Adams
Photo by Eric Adams/The Daily Standard

Coldwater Police Sgt. Kyle Dues is the designated handler for Vargo, a German shepherd K-9 officer introduced to village council Monday evening.

COLDWATER - Sgt. Kyle Dues introduced "Vargo" to village council members Monday evening, a German shepherd K-9 officer brought onboard to combat a growing drug problem in the village.
Chief Jason Miller said 50 drug-related incidents have been documented in Coldwater so far this year, 19 of which are felonious. This compares to 33 total incidents in 2012, during which only one felony charge was documented.
Council approved the K-9 addition at its previous meeting, making Coldwater the second municipality in Mercer County after Celina to do so. The Mercer County Sheriff's Office suspended its K-9 program last summer after the death of the department's second German shepherd in two years.
Dues will be the dog's only handler and already has begun teaching it basic commands. In addition to following orders, Dues said one of his greatest training tasks will be preparing Vargo to restrain himself.
"If he goes and bites somebody when that person stops resisting, he's got to stop," Dues said. "He has to be able to know that on his own, and that takes a lot."
Roughly six weeks of training remain for the canine, a process being handled by Von der Haus Gill German Shepherds near Wapakoneta. Vargo currently is learning to differentiate between illegal drug odors.
"(Gill) is probably one of the number one handlers in the nation," Dues said, adding that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has received K-9 officers and training from the regional provider.
The total cost of the dog was unknown, but Dues said the expense is being handled exclusively through donations from local businesses and non-profit groups. Vargo is slated to graduate from training in late October.
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Before the 2008 high school football season, the Midwest Athletic Conference switched its schedule to play just eight conference games instead of nine. [More]
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CELINA - City council members may rescind a law restricting downtown parking to two hours since it hasn't been enforced for years.
Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel on Monday night informed council members of a business owner's complaint that employees from other stores are parking in front of her business.
MARIA STEIN - Seven mothers asked board of education members on Monday night to set a criteria to guide teachers in selecting supplemental books for high school classroom assignments.
Mercer County Soil and Water Conservation District officials discovered a field tile that likely discharged silage leachate from a Celina dairy into a creek on Fairground Road just east of Fleetfoot Road.
Company is moving to vacant building outside the city
ST. MARYS - A packaging business relocating to another location just outside St. Marys will be annexed into the city.
Council members on Monday passed under suspension of rules an emergency ordinance allowing the action.
ST. HENRY - Councilors on Monday night passed first readings of legislation to divide a large, privately-owned lot on Chestnut Street into three separate properties.
The 2014 Celina Combined Services Appeal will have its traditional "kick-off" on Sept. 20 at the Celina Bulldog football game at the high school stadium. All officers, trustees and member agencies are encouraged to attend and should be at the football field by 6:30 p.m.
FORT RECOVERY - After struggling a bit in its first two games against Arcanum, Fort Recovery's volleyball team finished strong while completing a three-game sweep on Monday night at Fort Site Fieldhouse.
Local Roundup
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Fort Recovery had a trio of golfers shooting the same score and the Indians defeated St. Henry 181-186 on Monday at the Mercer County Elks for their fourth Midwest Athletic Conference win of the season.
Ball State senior quarterback Keith Wenning was named the Mid-American Conference's West Division Offensive Player of the Week for his play in the Cardinals' 40-14 win over Army on Saturday.