Greene County Sheriff welcomes new K-9
Courtesy of the Greene County Sheriff’s Office
Cpl. Nicholas Gustovich, left, and Greene County Sheriff Marcus Simms pose for a photo with Maugli after Gustovich and Maugli completed their explosives detection certification.
Courtesy of the Greene County Sheriff’s Office
Greene County Sheriff’s Cpl. Nicholas Gustovich with his partner, K9 Maugli
There’s a new deputy in Greene County whose job will be sniffing out explosives.
The county sheriff’s office recently welcomed Maugli, the agency’s new explosives K-9 officer, who was acquired through Region 13 funding, according to a Tuesday news release.
Sheriff Marcus Simms said their department was selected to receive the year-old Belgian Malinois last year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the training academy didn’t start until this year.
“I am so proud of the advancements that our office continues to make through the dedication of my staff and support of our local community members and businesses,” Simms said in a news release.
Maugli, who was imported from Europe, will be working with his handler, Cpl. Nicholas Gustovich. They recently completed a 12-week training together and were certified in patrol and explosives and gun detection, according to the release. The sheriff’s department has another K-9, Jack, who specializes in narcotics.
“Cpl. Gustovich has a dedication and passion to the K-9 program and showed that through devoting the past three months to training in Pittsburgh,” Simms said in the release.
Maugli will be used in county buildings, schools, Waynesburg University, and businesses that may have concerns or in need of law enforcement. They could also be asked to respond to other areas within the region for potential bomb threats “or other high-profile events that require searching,” the release states.
The new K-9 vehicle didn’t cost taxpayers any money, as Waynesburg University donated the $65,000 for it, according to the release. The sheriff’s office then purchased the vehicle from the Greene County Regional Police department, which had a fully outfitted K-9 vehicle.
“Without the collaboration of all of these agencies, we never would have achieved this goal,” Simms said in a statement. “I cannot thank everyone enough for their help and support in getting through this process. Through working together with these different agencies and the university the sheriff’s office can better serve and protect the citizens of Greene County.”