Mason charging former officer for K-9 training
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Former Mason Police Officer Hayden Wildfong is being charged by the city of Mason for the training of Tamarack the police dog.
Wildfong discovered he was being billed $3,800 for Tamarack’s training. The bill was generated on Feb. 22, and Wildfong learned of it on Feb. 27.
Photo/Mason Police Department Former Mason Police Officer Hayden Wildfong and K-9 Officer Tamarack. (Photo/Mason Police Department) Tamarack_Mason Hayden Wildfong and Tamarack, reunited. (WLNS) Hayden Wildfong and Tamarack, reunited. (WLNS) Tamarack smells the floor in the Ingham County Animal Control Shelter. (WLNS) Tamarack and Hayden Wildfong reunited. (WLNS) Tamarack enjoys a tennis ball. (WLNS) K-9 Tamarack reunited with former handler. (WLNS)
To settle the bill, city officials seized his final payroll check, $2,442.96. They also want Wildfong to pay them another $1,357.04.
6 News obtained the billing from an anonymous source and Wildfong confirmed the details in an exchange with 6 News.
Wildfong resigned from the city while being investigated for violating departmental policies. As part of his resignation, the city took Tamarack from him and attempted to find another law enforcement agency to take her on as part of their team.
An attempt to sell the dog to Wildfong for a reasonable amount failed at the City Council and the Ingham County Animal Control and Shelter ordered the dog returned to them as Tamarack had been adopted from that agency.
The day after Tamarack was surrendered to Ingham County Animal Control and Shelter, she was reunited with Wildfong, who became her permanent legal adoptive owner.
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