A K-9 dog with the Albemarle County Police Department died after complications related to a medical emergency on Tuesday.
Bella, a 9-year-old bloodhound, along with her handler, Officer Darrell Mikesh, often attended community events on behalf of the ACPD.
Bella will be missed by the department, the police chief said, but even more so, by the Mikesh family.
“We ask our community to keep them in their thoughts and respect their privacy as they grieve,” said Col. Sean Reeves, chief of police.
Bella joined the department in 2017. During her service with ACPD, she played an important role in tracking and search operations, helping locate missing and at-risk individuals and fugitives.
Bella responded to more than 100 calls for service, helped locate more than 20 missing or endangered individuals, and completed more than 2,500 hours of training in her nearly one decade of service with the department.
“K-9 Bella helped keep the residents of Albemarle County safe and provided critical support to officers during searches in our jurisdiction and beyond,” said Reeves. “The Albemarle County Police Department commends K-9 Bella for her dedication to our mission and extends its deepest condolences to Officer Mikesh and his family during this time.”
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Crystal Graham
