The newest member of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, K9 Oaklee is being introduced to the community. K9 Oaklee is a 7-month-old Bloodhound who is trained in trailing. K9 Oaklee will be used for locating missing persons and also for tracking suspects in criminal cases. Chief Deputy Adam Olson will be her handler.
In 2022 Chief Deputy Olson submitted a grant application to the Jimmy Ryce Center asking for assistance with funding for a bloodhound for the Sheriff’s Office. The Jimmy Ryce Center provides AKC bloodhounds to law enforcement to be used for finding lost and/or abducted children. Chief Deputy Olson was awarded a grant for a bloodhound puppy, and he partnered with Bluegrass Bloodhound in Leitchfield, Kentucky to receive a trained trailing bloodhound.
Additional funding to support the associated costs of maintaining an additional K9 came from a grant from AKC Reunite.
The Jimmy Ryce Center was developed after Jimmy Ryce (9 years old) was abducted, raped and murdered on September 11, 1995 on his way home from school. His family led massive searches for Jimmy for months before finally getting closure. Don and Claudine Ryce believed that if bloodhounds had been available to law enforcement, it may have changed the tragic outcome of this case.
Bluegrass Bloodhounds was developed in 2021 when Rhea Miller, an elderly woman, went missing from her home. When family asked law enforcement why dogs were not brought in to assist in the search for Rhea, the answer was there were no dogs available. In memory of Rhea Miller, a partnership was formed to assist law enforcement with obtaining and training bloodhounds.
Welcome to the team Oaklee!
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