Law Enforcement Appreciation Week: Deputy, K-9 fight crime in Cape area

Gabriel Yoder has been surrounded by dogs his entire life and had plans of becoming a veterinarian while he attended Iowa State University before falling ill and returning home. As he recovered over several months, he witnessed the events of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing unfold. It was then he made the decision to pursue a career in law enforcement as a deputy K-9 handler.

"I remember watching the news about the Boston Marathon bombing and how it made me feel," Yoder said. "Inspired by the men and women in law enforcement who responded and rapidly tracked down the suspects, I decided I, too, wished to protect the public and made the decision to get into law enforcement."

Growing up, Yoder and his family had multiple dogs ranging in size from a 100-pound Rottweiler, who was responsible for knocking out Yoder's two front teeth during a game of fetch, to a Yorkshire terrier during his time in high school.

Today, he is the handler of Zeno, the first law enforcement dog in 20 years for Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office. Yoder previously worked several years as a handler for Cape Girardeau Police Department.

"My first opportunity to become a K-9 handler was with the Cape Girardeau Police Department after being an officer for about three years, but it was my goal from Day 1 on the job," he said. "I would like to give credit to Roy Rahn, who was one of the k-9 handlers when I was hired by Cape PD. Without his help, guidance and encouragement, I don't know if I would have made it to K-9. Even with his motivation, it took me three attempts to become a K-9 handler."

K-9 Zeno while off-duty at Cape Girardeau County deputy sheriff Gabriel Yoder's home. Yoder also owns two personal German Shephards, Odin and Argos.Submitted

During his time at Cape PD, Yoder was awarded the Medal of Valor after pursuing the "Ameren burglars," who were responsible for stealing copper wire from the energy company. The suspects' vehicle crashed and caught fire during the pursuit, and Yoder along with his fellow officers Newton, Alsdorf and Templeton removed the unconscious individuals from the vehicle before they suffered burn injuries. Yoder has also experienced successes in law enforcement as a K-9 handler.

"Without going into specifics, I was requested to assist DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] agents, which resulted in the seizure of over seven pounds of Methamphetamine. The second case was assisting ATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms] with a search warrant where the agents were unable to locate the narcotics they suspected in the residence," Yoder said. "With the help of my first K-9 partner, 'Debo,' we were able to locate an ounce of methamphetamine and an ounce of Ecstasy in a matter of minutes."

In addition to handling Zeno, Yoder also owns two German shepherds — Odin, who is 10 years old, and Argos, 4. Zeno and Yoder work 12-hour shifts, seven out of 14 days for the sheriff's office. According to a previous article, "Zeno will continue to be trained throughout his employment at the Cape County Sheriff's Office. The Supreme Court requires all police dogs to be trained every month for two days, for a total of 16 hours, in order for them to maintain their qualifications as members of the police force."

The difference between Yoder's personal dogs and Zeno is the drive the K-9 shows as a working police dog.

"Each training session we attend he develops more confidence and more experience as CGPD K-9 trainer Jeff Bourbon pushes him to be better each time, " he said. Zeno has already assisted Cape County Sheriff's Office, state Highway Patrol, Cape City and Jackson with vehicle sniffs resulting in several narcotic arrests."

During Yoder and Zeno's days off work, they both enjoy their 3-mile walks. Zeno is then treated to a freshly-filled children's pool and toys, which Yoder can't keep up with replacing after Zeno rips them apart. Yoder plans to continue to build his skills as a veteran handler and build upon the sheriff's department K-9 unit.

"I plan to keep developing as a handler and building my bond with K-9 Zeno. I will continue to work with the sheriff's office and keep developing the K-9 program and hopefully expand it to a second dog," Yoder said. "K-9 Zeno and I will continue to assist as best we can and interdict criminals as they attempt to conduct their business in this county and stop them the best we can."