Last week was a busy work week for Police Services Dog Erlo. In two separate incidents, the Police Services Dog successfully located a total of three suspects.
On the evening of Monday, May 13, 2019, RCMP responded to an assault at a residence in St. Clements where the male suspect had taken off on foot. PSD Erlo, and his handler Constable Matthew Estrada, were called in to assist. With his handler right behind him, Erlo tracked the suspect and located him hiding in a field two kilometres from the home.
Later that week on Friday, May 17th, 2019, Selkirk RCMP responded to a report of a stolen vehicle on Main Street in Selkirk. The stolen vehicle was abandoned by the suspects who had taken off on foot. PSD Erlo and Cst. Estrada were called in to assist with the search. Erlo first tracked an adult female suspect for approximately three kilometres, and found her hiding in the bush. She was subsequently taken into custody. He then continued to track an adult male suspect an additional three kilometres where the male attempted to flee from police by jumping into the Red River. He was coaxed back to shore and arrested.
All three suspects in both incidents were arrested and charges are pending.
Erlo and his handler Cst. Estrada are based out of the Manitoba RCMP East St. Paul detachment. Cst. Estrada has been with the RCMP since 2002 and became a dog handler in 2013 while posted in British Columbia. In the fall of 2018, he and six-year-old PSD Erlo were transferred to Manitoba East District - Police Dog Services. PSD Erlo specializes in tracking, criminal apprehension, and explosives detection.