Scout

Incident

K9 Scout died after a ball accidentally became lodged in his mouth, blocking his airway.

Scout was participating in an advanced training canine training exercise with other county and state police canines at a building in the 700 block of Starbuck Street in Watertown. Scout was given his ball as a reward during the training, but it became lodged in his mouth. The handlers immediately began giving aid to Scout and took him a veterinary hospital where he later died.

Scout had served with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for 3-1/2 years and was trained in explosives detection, handler protection, and tracking.