K9 Helps Locate Stolen Vehicle Suspect

The Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office’s K9 Hati came through again with great assistance last week when a vehicle was allegedly stolen from Fox Ford of Wolf Point.

Sgt. Michael Ellerton said he overheard a phone conversion that two suspects had jumped out of the vehicle and taken off on foot in different directions just inside of McCone County. He felt it was a possible situation where Hati could assist.

“So I volunteered to go down there,” Ellerton said.

Once at the scene, Ellerton and Hati went to the stolen vehicle. Hati got the scent of one of the suspects and went from there.

“I observed her behavior and followed what she was smelling,” Ellerton said. “It’s not the first time that we’ve tracked. I trust her completely when it comes to that.”

Hati, who was trained by Nine Realms Canine Training in Spokane, Wash., has played key roles in other incidents during the last couple of years.

Hati helped find a missing 7-year-old boy south of Poplar during October of 2022. Hati tracked 1.5 miles before locating the boy safe near the river.

In April of 2021, Hati tracked a suspect when multiple inmates escaped from the tribal jail.

“Multiple inmates had just fled and he was the one she tracked,” Ellerton said of the inmate located. “She does a great job.”

In addition, Hati performs vehicle and building searches for narcotics when needed.

Although Ellerton doesn’t want any crime to be committed or a search to be necessary, he is glad that Hati is available to assist.

“Hati is a great dog that has done exceptional work,” Ellerton said.