Coshocton County's K-9 offers not impacted by marijuana law changes

Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune
·2 min read

COSHOCTON − Changes to recreational marijuana laws in the State of Ohio will not mothball the K-9 division of the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office, according to Sheriff James Crawford.

A bill currently being considered in the Ohio State Legislature would provide law enforcement agencies across Ohio up to $20,000 per dog to offset the cost of acquiring, training and equipping narcotics dogs that don't alert to the smell of marijuana. This means nearly 400 police dogs could be retired if not retrained.

This is related to voters in last fall's general election approving the growing, possession and use of recreational marijuana for those age 21 and older.

Cpl. Jeremy Johnson with Rip and Det. Sgt. Dave Stone with Charli make up the K-9 division of the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff James Crawford said changes in marijuana laws shouldn't affect the K-9 division much as dogs are used for finding other drugs, article searches, tracking and more.
Cpl. Jeremy Johnson with Rip and Det. Sgt. Dave Stone with Charli make up the K-9 division of the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff James Crawford said changes in marijuana laws shouldn't affect the K-9 division much as dogs are used for finding other drugs, article searches, tracking and more.

While Crawford believes the law change will have a minor impact on the use of dogs in the department, the two current K-9 officers are not imprinted with marijuana and have many other uses outside of drug detection.

Currently the sheriff's office has 5-year-old Belgian Malinois Charli handled by Det. Sgt. Dave Stone and 4-year-old Dutch Shepherd Rip with Cpl. Jeremy Johnson as handler. Chili retired last year and hasn't been replaced yet, and Crawford said he would like to have a third unit again if the opportunity arises.

The current dogs can detect cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. They are dual purpose dogs meaning they are also used for tracking, article searches and apprehension of suspect. They also do educational demonstrations and participate in events as a way to connect with the public.

K-9 Officer Rip with cash and suspected narcotics recovered from a traffic stop on Ohio 93 earlier this year.
K-9 Officer Rip with cash and suspected narcotics recovered from a traffic stop on Ohio 93 earlier this year.

The cost to fund the local program comes from donations. This includes from the Coshocton Foundation, Charlie and Dorothy Bechtol Fund and a variety of local businesses and individuals. Money is used for obtaining and training new dogs, vet care, food and equipment. Salaries for officers handling the dogs are part of the general fund.

In one word, Crawford said the importance of K-9 officers to his department is invaluable.

"We love our K-9s and appreciate all the hard work the handlers do to maintain their training so they are ready when duty calls," Crawford said. "I will do everything in my power to maintain the K-9 program."

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Coshocton K-9s not affected by marijuana law changes