Marshall County Sheriff’s Office hosts retirement ceremony for narcotics K-9 ‘Lacey’

CollageBENTON – After a successful decade on duty, Marshall County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics K-9 ‘Lacey’ is officially retired. On Thursday, members of law enforcement participated in a retirement ceremony for the Yellow Labrador Retriever at the Judicial Building in the Circuit Courtroom.

Lacey came to the department in 2005 with handler and then deputy, Russ Kegel. Lacey was later handled by Sergeant Kevin Mighell before Mighell’s wife Samantha took over handling duties in her role as a patrol officer at the department.

In remarks to officers and community members in attendance during yesterday’s ceremony, Marshall County Sheriff Kevin Byars said of Lacey, “She has had a very successful career and has been an asset to this department and now it is time for her to rest.”

Lacey, who is now 11 years old, has numerous narcotics hits to her credit including a four-pound marijuana find inside a residence. Lacey was utilized solely as a narcotics K-9 and accompanied Sgt. Mighell each day while she was on duty.lacey3

Of her partner’s retirement, Sgt. Mighell admits adjusting to daily life without her K-9 partner will be an adjustment. “You definitely get attached – you get used to having them with you, making sure they have what they need, that they are OK during your shift.”

For the past 10 years, Lacey has taken her seat alongside her handler in the patrol car, making retirement something that will also be quite an adjustment for her.
“Their training is to work, that is what they know,” Mighell said. “No matter what the weather is, whether she feels good or bad, they go to work until the job is done and then they go to their safe place -which is their kennel. She is not like a regular pet.”

For now, Mighell’s family, including she and Kevin’s son Nick, is working to make Lacey feel at home and to help her adjust to her new life as possibly an inside companion.

“We are not really sure how that is going to work just yet,” Mighell says. “Rather than playing with toys we give her, she wants to work when she comes inside – constantly pacing the floor -but we are hopeful she will begin to adjust and become more comfortable in her new setting.”

Mighell says it is that work ethic that ultimately led she and others to know it was time for Lacey to retire. “She does not know when she is worn out – when to stop. There were literally days when she could hardly move because she would overdo it.”
Mighell says compressed disks in Lacey’s neck have made it hard for her to have continued mobility and in combination with her age, retiring her seemed like what was in her best interest despite a love for the job. “We were worried about literally working her to death.”

On Thursday, Lacey seemed to be enjoying her new-found freedom in being off duty as she traveled around the courtroom visiting with those how had come to honor her service and wagging her tail while enjoy the attention of the day. In addition to presenting a service plaque to Mighell and Lacey, the K-9 was treated to a large box of Milk bones dog biscuits and a giant chewy bone.

Byars said at this time, there are no plans to replace Lacey, primarily due to budgetary constraints. However, he notes that in the future if circumstances allow, the department would like to deploy another K-9 unit.