Bartholomew County sheriff’s deputies will be getting a new police dog to be named Diesel, thanks to the efforts of a dispatcher and a diesel engine testing facility.
Bartholomew County Emergency Operations Center Dispatcher Dylan Prather and workers from Real World Testing presented the sheriff’s department with an over-sized check for $18,000 this morning.
When Prather was a senior in high school, he raised money for the police department to buy a dog as his senior project. Several weeks ago, he announced to County Council his intention to do the same for the sheriff’s department.
April Gray, operations manager for the Columbus company, said that she had known Prather since he was a child and when she and others heard about his efforts to raise the money they decided to make the donation to cover the entire amount.
The dog will be named Diesel in recognition of the engines the company tests.
Sheriff Matt Myers said that stopping illegal drugs is one of the department’s biggest priorities.
Myers said he planned to seek a new police dog during the upcoming budget negotiations, but didn’t expect it would get approved.
Deputy Matt Bush will leave for training with the new dog in September.