FREEHOLD — Borough K-9 police officer Max and nine of his fellow canine officers managed to chalk up another collar under their collars on June 27.
With help from their human partners, the K-9 force assisted in the capture of a 17-year-old borough male who had escaped from the Monmouth County Youth Detention Center on Dutch Lane Road in Freehold Township on Friday.
The youth could not have picked a more inopportune day for his leap from the confines of his temporary home.
The 97-degree midday heat led Patrol-man Michael Sweetman, who coordinated the K-9 effort, to stagger the time his partner Max and the other K-9 officers were able to work. The heat and humidity necessitated the dogs to have limited exposure to the elements and enough time in between to cool down and rehydrate.
According to Sweetman, the 12:20 p.m. escape occurred when several youths were being transferred from a van back into the detention center. One of the young men managed to get his hand free from the restraint while he was still in the van. As the door of the van opened, the 17-year-old fled and ran to the area near Castle Drive, Freehold Township. He was last observed on Tower Drive.
During this time, detention center officials notified all surrounding police departments of the escape. Sweetman and Max responded to the scene.
Sweetman said he met with Freehold Township police Lt. Kurt Schriefer and officials from the detention center. The officer said a bed sheet and clothes belonging to the youth who escaped were given to Max so the dog could begin tracking the escapee.
After a short time, because of the heat and high humidity, Sweetman called for reinforcements to help Max. Responding to the call for help were two K-9 police officers from Union County, two from Ocean County, two from Manalapan, two from Marlboro and one from the Mon-mouth County Sheriff’s Office.
Also responding to the scene was the East Freehold Fire Department and the Freehold First Aid Squad. Officials from the Monmouth County Board of Health were on hand to offer comfort, aid and water to all involved and a helicopter also aided in the search for the youth. The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Mobile Command Post was on scene to run communications for the officers.
After the officers had searched for more than four hours in the heat, the youth was spotted near Harding Road and Route 537 by a resident who called Freehold Township police. They in turn notified the search teams of the visual sighting. After a short foot pursuit, the juvenile was apprehended at 4:45 p.m. and taken back to the youth detention center.
— Clare Marie Celano