Sartell’s K9 Officer Echo Celebrates Birthday Week by Sniffing Out Drugs and Helping Catch Felony Suspect

(KNSI) – Sartell’s K9 cop celebrated his birthday week by helping to keep the streets safe.

On Thursday afternoon, Officer Curt Grosz and his K9 partner Echo responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle at Rotary Park. As the German shepherd sniffed the car, he signaled to his handler that drugs were inside. Officers say they found three grams of methamphetamine.

Echo spent Saturday celebrating his fourth birthday before being called back into action the next day. Sartell officers were trying to arrest a suspect with a felony warrant for drugs. The man was seen going into a home and refused to come out. Eventually, police knocked down a door and used a robot to find the suspect. When he still refused to surrender, K9 Echo was set loose and located the suspect hiding in a basement crawl space.

Police say the man gave up before Echo had to take a bite out of the situation.

The SPD says both incidents are good reminders of how important it is to report suspicious activity and have a dog on the force.

Echo and Grosz started patrols together in June of 2024. They are the second K9 team to join the force after the department restarted the program in 2023. The other is Kimber and her handler, Officer Kari Bonfield. Kimber is trained as a therapy dog.

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