KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – The search for the lost Chapmanville K-9 Chase goes on, and community members say all they want is to see him found.
13 News spoke to South Charleston Police Chief Brad Rinehart, who said his department is determined to answer the public’s questions and find Chase. He says the South Charleston Police Department has four K-9s of their own, and they’re like family to the department.
“We’re crazy about animals,” Chief Rinehart said. “We have 4 K-9s of our own here. We’re still looking for Chase. We’re hoping we can find him one day…As a whole department we’ve tried turning every stone trying to look for Chase.”
Chase was last seen on April 11, 2023, near his handler’s home in South Charleston.
Chase’s handler was former Chapmanville police officer Marcus Dudley, who was indicted by the Kanawha County grand jury on Thursday, and is facing six charges.
Dudley’s charges include three counts of falsely reporting an emergency, two counts of making false statements and obstructing an officer, and one count of animal cruelty.
Jessica France lives in South Charleston, and says that investigators cannot afford to let up on searching for Chase.
“We still need to find Chase,” France said. “No matter what, Chase still needs to be found. Dead or alive. Chase needs to be put to burial if he died, and if he’s alive, he needs to be put into a good home.”
France adds that it is very likely that Chase will not be the first, or last, K-9 to be lost.
“Chase is probably not the only dog this has happened to. But we don’t want to see this happen again in the future.”
Annette Roberts has also been following the search for Chase, from Elkview. She says Chase is more than a dog. He’s an officer sworn to protect others.
“Even though we didn’t know him, we loved him because he was sworn to protect us,” Roberts said. “He was trained to protect us. That’s what his life was for. I don’t doubt at all that if he had to and was put in a situation, that he would have helped save anyone because he was trained to do that.”
