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CENTERVILLE — The Centerville Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its police K-9s hit killed by a car along I-15 in Davis County.
"Sophie is loved by everybody, loved by the community, loved by the officers," said Centerville Police Chief Paul Child.
Sophie, a 6-year-old bloodhound, escaped from her handler's home in Centerville on Sunday night. Officers spent the night looking for her, but then, Monday morning, dispatch received a call of a dog on I-15 close to Parrish Lane.
When Sophie's handler arrived on the scene, he found she had been hit and killed.
"Her handler was actually one of the first on scene to discover her, and it's just extremely tragic," Child said.
Sophie joined the Centerville Police Department in 2019 and has worked with her handler, officer Jason Shield, for three years.
"His family took her in and just loved her," Child said. "It's pretty traumatic for him and his family."
Sophie was known for her tracking abilities and was often called to assist in cases involving missing people. Child recalled a particular case involving a child.
"One case, there was an autistic girl that was missing in very inclement weather, and hours had gone by, and it was dark," he said. "Sophie was able to, from the scent off the pillow, trail her down and find her hiding in some bushes trying to stay warm, and we don't know what would have happened to her had Sophie not found her."
With a flag draped over her and an officer standing watch, officers gathered at the Centerville Police Department on Monday for a public viewing. Visitors included several K-9s and their handlers from around the state and Nevada.
"As law enforcement we're a tight-knit group as it is; the K-9 units are even tighter than that," Child said.
A private service was held for Sophie at the police department. Shortly after, officers lined the front entrance and stood shoulder to shoulder in support of officer Shield and Sophie as the K-9 was escorted from the building one last time.
"The officer is extremely heartbroken, it's traumatic for him and his family," Child said.
Taking one last ride in her handler's police vehicle, a procession followed Sophie to an animal hospital in Farmington. A private graveside service will be held for her at a later date.
"She was an extremely valuable member of our department, and were just heartbroken at her loss," Child said.
