Debbie Lurie-Smith
debbie@jcnews.com
The Jones County Sheriff’s Office honored K9 Officer Ella last week with the report of her death and recognition of her more than seven years of service as a vital partner in law enforcement.
Throughout her career at JCSO the K9 had three handlers, most recently Sgt. Kasey Carr. She retired from service Sept. 4, 2022, and lived out her remaining days with Carr and his family.
Carr said during her years of service, Ella was responsible for hundreds of criminal charges and countless numbers of drugs taken off the streets of Jones County.
“Ella was a remarkable Malinois who loved going to work and would let everyone know she was 2011–2023
there with her barks.Ella loved making new friends and being loved on by everyone. Ella girl will be dearly missed by those who loved her,” the sergeant said.
Ella started her career with JCSO in 2015. She was four years old and assisted with more than 20 drug cases during her first two months in law enforcement. The K9 was a certified narcotics canine trained to alert on four drugs, marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.
She was also a certified tracking dog.
Sheriff Butch Reece expressed his condolences in a Facebook post that included the news of her death.
“Ella will certainly be missed by our department as well as Sergeant Carr and his family,” he commented.
