Drug dogs find little of substance at Central

Remy, Shelbyville K-9 officer, sniffed around the campus of Shelbyville Central High School Tuesday morning looking for drugs. While the K-9 officers got "hits" in several locations, no drugs were found. One weapon was discovered in the trunk of a student's vehicle.
(T-G Photo by Brian Mosely) [Order this photo]

"We're going to run several dogs through here and see if we can't find any drugs this morning," Bedford County Sheriff Randall Boyce said.

As a result, students were instructed to stay in their classrooms behind locked doors.

But while the K-9 officers got several "hits" on student lockers and cars, no drugs were found, although a weapon was discovered in the trunk of one vehicle that came under suspicion.

Occasionally, an officer would place a small amount of drugs in a locker ahead of the dogs' search pattern, just to make sure they could get a "hit."

The animals never failed in that regard, but after a two-hour search by the K-9s and their handlers, authorities came up empty handed.

"I guess for a school this size ....that's pretty good," Assistant Principal Whit Taylor said following the search.

Officer Tracey Nelson, who is the handler for drug dog Remy, said that school officials will ask law enforcement once or twice a year to do a sweep of the school building and parking lot to see if any drugs are present.

Nelson and Remy have been doing the sweeps for the past ten years, ever since she was partnered with the furry officer and Nelson, who graduated in 1983, also recalls sweeps done when she was in the school.

But as the heat of the morning wore on, the K-9 officers began to tire during their search of the school's parking lots, requiring frequent breaks.

Two of the dogs "hit" on a car that was later searched by officers and school administrators. While no drugs were found, a piece of lumber with a carved handle was recovered from the trunk.

Taylor said the student was told to take the piece of wood home by the school's student resource officer and if he should bring it back, it would be confiscated "and we'll deal with it after that."

The student was also questioned if anyone who possessed drugs had been in his vehicle or if drugs had been used in the car, since the K-9s are able to detect even a lingering odor or just residue of drugs.

Two other vehicles were searched after the K-9s indicated on them as well, but nothing was found in either car following a search.

Boyce said they would "probably not" run the dogs through the other schools in the county that same day, since the dogs don't like to work too much at a time.