By Rod Smith
Kalamazoo Gazette
PAW PAW, Mich. — A canine officer with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department and his dog have earned a national recognition for their work on a drug bust.
Scott Schmitt, a 10-year sheriff’s department veteran, and his dog, Xago, have been given a National Detector Dog Award from the United States Police Canine Association.
``I think it’s fantastic,’' Sheriff Dale Gribler said of the recognition. ``And I think it really speaks volumes.’'
The award stemmed from a Jan. 31 traffic stop by the Michigan State Police on Interstate 94 in Lawrence Township. The trooper obtained a consent search but couldn’t locate any contraband in the vehicle. Schmitt and Xago were called in and discovered in a rear quarter panel of the vehicle eight large plastic bundles containing $355,000 in alleged drug money.
Copyright 2007 Kalamazoo Gazette