Crime & Safety

King to the Rescue — Police Dog Finds Lost El Cerrito Man

El Cerrito's police dog King located a missing 85-year-old El Cerrito man who had wandered from home after midnight and become disoriented.

El Cerrito's canine cop, , not only can . He  also can find missing people, as he demonstrated early Thursday morning when he located a lost 85-year-old man who had wandered from his home after midnight.

Officers were called to a home in the 8000 block of Terrace Drive about 4:30 a.m. to check on the missing man, according to a news release issued by El Cerrito police Officer Angela Payne.

A family member said the man had last been seen at around midnight and had left home without a jacket or his wallet, according to Payne.

Find out what's happening in El Cerritowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

King and his current handler, El Cerrito police Officer Joshua Del Prado, tracked the missing man and found him a short distance away, in the 800 block of Shevlin Drive, disoriented and hiding behind a garbage can, according the release.

The man was cold but otherwise okay, according to Payne.

Find out what's happening in El Cerritowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

King meanwhile has been receiving kudos at the police department.

"Obviously we're really excited about his successful search," Payne told Patch.

The department's news release concluded by saying, "The El Cerrito Police Department owes a debt of gratitude to all of the those who have donated their time, energy and money to making a K-9 Officer in the City of El Cerrito a reality. It is the partnership with our community that makes stories like this a possibility."


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