DEC K-9 Shamey Helps Police Find Escaped Prisoner
The Department of Environmental Conservation’s longest serving member of its K-9 unit helped Cobleskill Police apprehend a prisoner who escaped early Friday morning.
DEC Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) Tech. Sgt. Keith Isles and K-9 “Shamey” were called at around 5:30 a.m. Friday to help assist Cobleskill Police find suspect Kenneth T. Meyers, who had been arrested earlier in the night for an alleged assault.
During arrest processing, while still wearing handcuffs and a restraining belt, Meyers escaped out a back door of the police station and fled on foot into dense fields adjacent to the police department on Mineral Springs Road. Cobleskill police officers pursued Meyers but were unable to locate him due to darkness, heavy fog and rain.
New York State Police and ECOs were called in to assist. About four hours into the search, K-9 Shamey picked up a scent and found Meyers hiding in a field close to I-88. He was taken into custody without incident. Meyers was also found to be wanted on felony arrest warrants by Schoharie County Probation Department in addition to being wanted by the Rotterdam Police Department.
Meyers was charged with Resisting Arrest and Petit Larceny, class A misdemeanors, and Escape in the Second Degree, a class E felony. He was arraigned in Town of Cobleskill Court and remanded to the Schoharie County Correctional Facility on $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 bond. He is to return to court on July 18 at 5 p.m.
A 9-year-old German Shepherd born in the Czech Republic, Shamey has been in service for the DEC for eight years and is trained in the detection of wildlife crimes – like tracking deer poachers – but also excels in finding hidden evidence, tracking criminals, and assisting other agencies around the Capital District.
Sgt. Isles, the head of DEC’s K-9 unit, has served since 1986. Shamey is named after former ECO Lt. Bill Shamey.
