Pubdate: Thu, 28 Feb 2002
Source: Montana Standard (MT)
Copyright: 2002 Montana Standard
Contact:  http://www.mtstandard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/609
Author: Vera Haffey

DRUG DOG SHOT, KILLED

Investigators Have Made No Arrests

ANACONDA -- The carcass of a trained black Labrador used by police to 
ferret out illegal drugs was found east of Anaconda over the weekend, dead 
of a gun shot wound.

Sasha, a 3 1/2 -year-old female, had been shot once in the head, probably 
at close range, Assistant Police Chief Mark Blaskovich said. The body was 
left in an area next to Interstate 90 often used to dump animal carcasses 
and other refuse.

The department made no announcement of the killing, and officials still 
withheld information Wednesday.

Chief of Police Tom Blaz confirmed the death only after area residents 
called a number of news organizations, who inquired about the dog's death.

Investigators have made no arrests and have not determined if the killing 
was revenge by drug dealers, Blaz said.

"We haven't had any recent cases that were a direct result of working the 
drug dog, but it was no secret that's what the dog was," Blaz said.

Sasha's handler, officer Kent Reisenauer, said she disappeared Friday after 
he let her out for exercise. He lives in Opportunity, just west of 
Interstate 90, and said Sasha's body was found about 1 1/2 miles away. An 
area resident out for a walk found the body and called him.

"She never left the yard, or if she did she didn't go far," Reisenauer said 
Wednesday.

He declined to speculate on who killed Sasha.

Blaz would not say whether investigators recovered the slug from the dog's 
body.

Blaskovich said the dog was near the carcasses of two calves that had been 
there some time, but said it was unlikely that Sasha was shot by a rancher 
for chasing live stock.

"Normally the owners (of livestock) would shoot the dog and call us," he said.

Blaskovich said the department acquired Sasha from Texas almost two years 
ago at a cost of about $3,400 for training and transportation.
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