K9 Hero

Wessel

Lawton Police Department — Lawton, OK

Duty related illness Dutch Shepherd

Service Record

End of Watch January 2, 2014

Tour of Duty 2 years, 8 months

Age 5

Gender Male

K9 Profile

Breed Dutch Shepherd

Cause Duty related illness

Agency

Department Lawton Police Department

Location Lawton, OK

Incident

K9 Wessel succumbed to complications from surgery after a narcotics traffic stop.

K9 Wessel was deployed during a traffic stop at Summit and 5th Street in Lawton. After he produced a positive alert on the vehicle, K9 Wessel was rewarded with a tennis ball. The ball fractured when he bit down on it, and pieces entered his gastrointestinal tract. He had two surgeries to remove the foreign materials but died from his intestinal injury and surgery complications three weeks later.

The traffic stop and arrest yielded 13 pounds of marijuana, elements of drug trafficking, and $ 10,000 cash.

K9 Wessel had served with the Lawton Police Department for over two years.