Wakulla County Sheriff's Office greets Lee
County Sheriff's Office team in "Walk for the Fallen"
Sheriff Donnie Crum and Undersheriff Maurice Langston of the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office greeted a team of Lee County Sheriff’s Office officials Friday, May 4 along U.S. Highway 98 as they approached the Wakulla County line.
The meeting of law enforcement was a special welcome to Sergeant David Drum who was getting ready to finish an ambitious 390 mile long trek to raise awareness and funds for the families of fallen law enforcement officers.
On Wednesday, April 25, the Lee County team began the journey at the Lee Sheriff’s Office in Fort Myers. Sgt. Drum and his support team concluded their journey in Tallahassee at the “Officer Down” Memorial at the Capitol in Tallahassee.
Sergeant David Drum decided to raise the money one step at a time, by walking, running and cycling 390 miles from the Lee County Sheriff's Office to the State Capitol Building in Tallahassee. The pledges Sergeant Drum receives from the Walk for the Fallen will go directly to Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) an organization that helps the children and families of fallen officers through grief counseling, scholarship opportunities and much more.
The year 2011 saw an increase in violence toward law enforcement officers across the country with 177 officers killed in the line of duty. At least 265 children were left behind by the violence, some too early to have a memory of their fallen parent.
“Everyone can step up and become heroes to these families by sponsoring and supporting this cause,” said Sgt. Drum. He added that he trained for a year for the challenging trip from Lee County to Tallahassee. His support team included Lee Sheriff’s Office deputies like, Deputy Dan Leffin, who served as his EMT unit when needed.
Wakulla County Sheriff Donnie Crum was shot in the line of duty in the early 1980s and understands what families have to go through when their loved ones work in law enforcement.
“It is so sad because of the collateral damage to the family,” said Sheriff Crum. “The family goes through the pain and the suffering too. It adds stress to the family as they worry every day, especially the children. For family of those who are killed, it is an instant life changer. They are in the middle of a world where they don’t know where to go or what to do. They haven’t planned for it.”
“When a law enforcement officer is injured in the line of duty the family can hang on to an arm,” said Undersheriff Maurice Langston. “When a law enforcement officer is killed, all they have to hold onto is memories.”
The counties traversed by Sgt. Drum during the trip included: Lee, Charlotte, Manatee, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Levy, Gilchrist, Dixie, Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla and Leon.
You can support C.O.P.S. and the families of the brave men and women who gave their lives by mailing a donation to: Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc., P.O. Box 3199, Camdenton, MO 65020. Please write "Walk for the Fallen" on the memo line. For more information, you can go to www.Facebook.com/walkforthefallen.
You can also visit the Officer Down Memorial page on the Internet at http://www.odmp.org/ and learn more about the men and women who have given their lives in the law enforcement field.
Wakulla County Sheriff Donnie Crum invites women to take part in “Ladies Day at the Range” the first Wednesday of each month from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Certified firearms instructors will be on the line to assist ladies improve their safe gun handling techniques and shooting skills. Ladies are invited to enjoy shooting in a relaxed, no pressure atmosphere with like-minded women.
The event takes place at the WCSO Training Center and Range, 65 Qualify Lane, Crawfordville. The cost is free to range members and $10 for non-members. Ladies are asked to bring your gun and ammunition. Targets, eye and ear protection will be furnished. For more information, call the range at (850) 745-7290 or (850 251-1676).
WCSO K-9 Gunny continues his successful
recovery from two spinal surgeries, returns to active duty
Pictured: From Left, Maria Steurer, Alison Collier, Sgt. Ronald Mitchell, K-9 Gunny, Melody Griggs and Dr. Norm Griggs.
An average work day in December 2010 almost turned tragic for Sgt. Ronald “Boonie” Mitchell and his K-9 partner Gunny. The duo was part of a pursuit investigation involving a Wakulla County motorist when the seriousness of the pursuit resulted in Gunny being thrown around the vehicle and injuring his spine.
But a very frightening event had a happier ending for Sgt. Mitchell and his four legged partner thanks to two surgeries by Dr. Norm Griggs of Shepherd Spring Animal Hospital in Crawfordville. After several months’ worth of recuperative time, Gunny and Sgt. Mitchell have been able to return to a normal law enforcement relationship.
Almost a year has passed but Sgt. Mitchell remembers the incident as if it occurred only a few weeks ago. Mitchell has invested way too much training and emotional time in the German shepherd who arrived in the United States from Hungary to give up easily.
Following the two surgeries and time away from the K-9 vehicle, Gunny has regained almost all of the lost coordination as a result of his injury. Sgt. Mitchell said he wasn’t sure when Gunny was injured but the pursuit tossed the animal around inside the vehicle and he displayed odd leg movements after the incident took place.
Right after the onset of the injury, Mitchell took Gunny to see Dr. Faith Hughes and the dog experienced paralysis in his rear end. There was talk of retiring the dog and a K-9 expert recommended taking Gunny to Gainesville for treatment. Dr. Hughes was helpful but she had seen the injury before. Gunny needed a specialist or an orthopedic surgeon. Mitchell began searching for this specialist and luck or fate stepped in and Wakulla County had an orthopedic vet practicing right down the highway.
Dr. Griggs, a K-9 orthopedic surgeon, told Mitchell that he thought he could save the animal and the medical treatment and recovery period began. “At that point, Boonie wasn’t concerned about Gunny continuing his police work, he just wanted to save the dog’s life,” said Dr. Griggs. “I felt like Gunny could recover.”
Deputy Lorne Whaley was Gunny’s handler until 2007 when Sgt. Mitchell took over. He took Gunny through the Florida Highway Patrol Canine Center for both patrol and narcotics training and spent a year in school with the dog. Deputy Matt Helms had K-9 Cowboy in service at the time, but Cowboy was nearing retirement age and has since stopped his police work.
The first surgery on Gunny’s spine was in December 2010 and the dog began to make some progress toward recovery. “It was a couple of weeks later that Gunny started doing the same thing with his legs,” said Sgt. Mitchell. “Dr. Griggs found more damage to the spine and nerve damage due to the injury.”
The second surgery was conducted in January 2011 but Mitchell went through months of rehabilitative work to get Gunny back in shape to continue police work. Sgt. Mitchell used a catheter to assist the dog urinate and rigged up a sling with a shirt to allow the dog to go outside for bowel movements. The handler was turned into a caregiver for his partner and protector overnight.
All of the hard work done by Mitchell at home was conducted while the sergeant was reassigned to the road patrol unit. Boonie and his wife Vicki are both employed by the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office and both understood what it took to care for Gunny.
“The way I saw it, it was another officer who was wounded,” said Mitchell. “”It was a 24 hour a day thing for me and my wife.” The Mitchells celebrated milestones when the dog was able to go to the bathroom by himself, lifting his leg and walking by himself. “It was a big deal,” said Mitchell. “The other alternative was to destroy the animal.”
After four months of recuperating from the two surgeries Mitchell was unsure what to do with Gunny. But in July and August he and his partner went back through drug interdiction training and in September Gunny became 100 percent certified in narcotics detection by the International Forensic Research Institute (IFRI).
Mitchell continued to work with Gunny on tracking and he showed his skill by quickly locating a missing four-year-old child.
“The dog was always good at tracking,” he said. “German shepherds are good at a lot of things.” After finding the child, Gunny got to play with his pull toy, obviously a favorite activity. Gunny has also helped locate a female Alzheimer’s patient.
“I could not have gotten a better animal,” Mitchell said. “We are two officers who rely on each other. He’s my counterpart and equal.”
Mitchell’s wife Vicki handled Dante, a retired WCSO law enforcement dog. Dante is now 14 and is blind. He is a Belgian Malinois. A dog handled by retired WCSO Sgt. Jud McAlpin, Cane, has passed away. The Mitchells have four dogs at their home, Dante, Gunny and two more.
“K-9 handlers are a family worldwide,” said Mitchell. “We all understand. We’ll all been through the same training. There is a mutual respect there. We’re all kind of linked together.”
The 25 year law enforcement veteran feels Gunny will be good for another year, but he isn’t sure what the future will bring. The former Wakulla County Ambulance Service EMT could take another animal under a three year contract. The animals are an expensive proposition running from $10,000 to $25,000 depending on what type of animal the agency gets. “There are other costs associated with it but the cost can’t be compared to finding a child or a missing adult.”
For Dr. Griggs and his staff of wife Melody and assistants Alison Collier and Maria Steurer, it has become a special event when Gunny rumbles through the animal hospital. “I had experience working with law dogs when I was in Memphis,” said Dr. Griggs. “The ruptured disc was unusual for this breed. He blew out two different discs. Boonie and his dedication to this dog was just amazing. He wanted to save the dog’s life. It was really, really thrilling to me.”
Mitchell’s quick response to get Gunny back to the vet after the first surgery helped the dog recover more quickly from the second surgery. “He is a very, very lucky dog,” said Dr. Griggs. “He is also a very head strong dog and that probably helped him during the recovery.”
Recently, Sgt. Mitchell and Gunny were called out to a wooded area of Wakulla Beach Road to locate a very young child who had wandered away from his mother and home. Gunny caught the scent and pulled Boonie through some thick brush. Eventually, Sgt. Mitchell could see the boy running and hollered out to him to come back, meet and visit with his dog.
The child changed directions and came toward Sgt. Mitchell who carried the young boy out of the woods like a backpack while Gunny led the two humans back to the road, back-tracking his own scent.
“This county should be very, very proud of these two,” said Dr. Griggs. “The dog can find a child, he can find drugs and he can drag down a felon. He is a very special dog.”
“The county has invested a lot of money in Gunny,” Mitchell concluded. “But how can you put a price on finding a missing child. It was priceless.”
SHERIFF CRUM BIO
Wakulla
Donnie W. Crum (R)
Crawfordville
Personal
Born: Wakulla County, July 8, 1949
Spouse: Alicia
Children: Four
Church: Southern Baptist
Education:
Graduate, Sopchoppy High School 1967
Law Enforcement Academy 1975
Gulf Coast Junior College 1980
Career:
Mason bricklayer; served on the Sheriff’s Office auxiliary in 1973; worked for Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office a total of 35 years, beginning as a correctional officer/dispatcher, Deputy, Patrol Sergeant, Investigator, Lieutenant and moving up to Major, then eventually Undersheriff/Chief Deputy; Special Agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in domestic narcotics investigations (1985-1989); appointed Sheriff of Wakulla County twice first by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist; then appointed Sheriff of Wakulla County by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, October 1, 2011.
Honors and Affiliations:
Selected Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by Coastal Optimist Club, Advanced Training Surveillance Techniques, Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training, Economic Crimes, Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training; Florida asset Forfeitures, Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute; Investigation and Prosecution of Jamaican Gangs, United States Department of Justice; Diversified Training Programs, Florida Sheriff’s Association; Member Florida Intelligence Unit; F.I.U., Inc.; Founding Member, Big Bend Narcotics Task Force; participant in Operation Grouper, a two year undercover infiltration of domestic, Latin American and Caribbean cartels resulting in the convictions of 100+ criminal defendants and decorated service. Tri-State Interdiction Radar Program; participant in international narcotics investigation involving WCSO, Drug Enforcement Administration and United States Attorney Office that led to seizure of millions of dollars of narcotics as well as civil assets and convictions of numerous Columbian cartel members.
SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Address: 15 Oak St., Crawfordville, 32327-2090
Phone: (850) 745-7100
Website: http://www.wcso.org
COUNTY DETAILS
County Seat: Crawfordville
Population: 32,815
County Website: http://www.mywakulla.com/
Mary Dean Barwick, the Sheriff's Office Finance Director, is a Certified Public Accountant and the mission of the Finance Division is to provide professional finance, budget and grant assistance to the Sheriff's Office. In order to achieve this mission the Sheriff's Office must operate in a fiscally responsible manner, which includes linking strategic planning and the budget process for the organization as a whole. 