Henry County Sheriff’s Office discusses successes of K-9 unit

HENRY COUNTY, Tenn. — Two four-legged heroes are recognized for the capture of a dozen fugitives across Tennessee.

“I can’t go anywhere without someone knowing Rowdy. We go through the drive-thru at Sonic, and he gets chicken nuggets handed to him,” said Cpl. Stacey Bostwick, of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.

Rowdy’s best friend and partner in crime fighting, Adora, is just as popular.

“Everybody wants to talk to her and meet her and give her treats and give her praise. A lot of people just ask about her. How is she doing and what’s going on with her and everything,” said Wayne Fuqua, Adora’s handler.

But the dogs are more than just cute. They’re also good at their jobs.

“Roundabout, we’re 18 to 20 finds. We’ve probably deployed probably anywhere from 30-35 times,” Bostwick said.

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News reporter Julia Ewoldt went to the park with Rowdy and Adora, just to see what it takes for the pair to track a suspect.

“We’ll have what we call a scent article. It’ll be something someone wore, touched, dropped, or anything like that,” Fuqua said.

In about two minutes, Rowdy was across the field.

“He’ll pull you right along. You’re just the man on the end of the rope, and you got to be in shape,” Bostick said.

And the deputies have a message for anyone who tries to outrun their dogs.

“We’re coming for you. Try it,” Bostwick said.

“You can run; you are just going to go to jail tired,” Fuqua added.

“These dogs have been bred for 200 years to find the man. It’s a game to them, and we’re proud to be behind the lead on them,” Bostwick said.

Most recently, Adora and Rowdy were called in to assist in the capture of escaped inmate Curtis Ray Watson in Lauderdale County and Billie Joe Cruse in Decatur County.