K-9 UNIT

The Justice Department announced yesterday that a federal grand jury indicted Melvin Hilson, 49, currently a deputy warden at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, for repeatedly striking an inmate and knocking him to the ground, resulting in injury to the inmate. The indictment charges Hilson with a felony civil rights offense for assaulting the inmate in 2016, when Hilson was a member of the K-9 Unit at the prison, which is also known as Parchman. Yesterday’s indictment was announced by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner for the Northern District of Mississippi and FBI Jackson Special Agent in Charge Michelle Sutphin. Special Litigation Counsel Samantha Trepel and Trial Attorney Cameron Bell of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Mims of the Northern District of Mississippi are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

SAGINAW, MI — The Saginaw Police Department has a new furry member on its force, replacing a K-9 now working with another area department. Ares, a Belgian malinois, was donated to the agency by the nonprofit Saginaw Valley Police Canine Association, or SVPCA. Ares is beginning his five-week training program and will join his partner, Officer Jordan Engelhart, as a member of the department’s K-9 Police Unit. He is replacing Nvee, also a Belgian malinois whose partner Doug Stacer retired from the Saginaw Police Department earlier this year. Ares, the newest member of the Saginaw Police Department's K-9 Unit.

The Michigan State Police department is being sued for $1 million in connection with an arrest where a K-9 attacked a suspect for more than three minutes.

On Saturday, the Hazel Park Police Department announced the unexpected death of its K-9 Dutch Shepherd named Lando.

LANSING, Mich. – Disturbing video of an arrest near Lansing has led to criminal charges against a state trooper over how he handled his police dog. Parker Surbrook joined the Michigan State Police in 2012 and worked his way up to becoming a K-9 handler. The dashcam footage shows Surbook’s K-9 was on the suspect for more than 3 and a half minutes while the man pleaded for the trooper to pull the dog off. AdThe driver pleads for Surbrook to remove the dog and said his leg is broken. After reviewing the video, Surbrook was charged with one count of felonious assault.