Scott County Sheriff Wes Drury, fired deputy in fight over dog

Scott County Sheriff Wes Drury's firing of a deputy, who is running against him for sheriff, has sparked a dispute over the future of the department's police dog for which the deputy served as handler.

Carl Rose, the deputy, said Drury took the dog away from him following his termination Monday.

"I want the dog back," Rose told the Scott County Commission on Thursday.

"The dog is like a member of my family," he told commissioners.

Rose said he would even pay thousands of dollars to buy the 6-year-old dog named Rex.

Scott County District 1 Associate Commissioner Dennis Ziegenhorn said the issue is whether the sheriff or the county government has legal possession of the animal. "I don't have the answer to that," he told Rose.

Drury, who was not at the commission meeting, said in an emailed statement to the Southeast Missourian that "Rex was purchased from donations; therefore, we can't sell Rex to anyone, including Carl Rose."

Capt. Dane Stausing of the sheriff's department wrote in an email to the newspaper, "Right now, the sheriff's office is exploring and researching our options with the canine program."

Rex may end up with the Scott City Police Department, according to that department's police chief.

Chief Mike Culler said Drury approached him on Monday about that possibility. Scott City council members have voiced support for the idea, the police chief said.

Culler said the Scott City Police Department has been looking at acquiring a police dog to help combat illegal drugs in the Scott County community.

But purchasing a dog for police work costs about $10,000, he said. It can cost another $6,000 to $8,000 to train an officer as the dog handler, Culler said.

The arrangement could involve the sheriff's department donating Rex and the canine vehicle to Scott City in exchange for a Scott City patrol car, according to Rose.

But County Clerk Rita Milam said county vehicles cannot be traded or sold without approval of the county commission.

Although the dog was purchased with donations, Milam said tax dollars have been spent for food and general upkeep for the dog.

Culler said nothing has been finalized. "No deal has been offered at this point," he said.

The police chief said Rex would be a good fit for the department, partly because Scott City police Sgt. Brooks Brockmire previously worked for the sheriff's department and served as the dog's handler.

According to Rose, the dog is being boarded at a dog trainer's facility in Cape Girardeau.

Drury wrote in an email that "Canine Rex is currently staying in the same place Carl would house him if he was on vacation."

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