The Ada Police Department issued the following statement on the death of its K9 dog:

On Thursday, June 8, at approximately 6:30 a.m., our K9 Jaeger was struck by a car and killed. 

K9 Jaeger was not on duty and was at home with his handler Sgt. Matt Purdy.  Sgt. Purdy lives in a rural part of Hardin County and while taking K9 Jaeger out to relieve himself, K9 Jaeger pulled away from his handler, slipping his collar and alit after a motor vehicle.  The vehicle struck K9 Jaeger, killing him at the scene.  The driver of the vehicle was not at fault and was distressed by the occurrence.

This unfortunate incident was completely out of character for Jaeger who had served the Ada Police Department since October of 2015.  K9 Jaeger was responsible for numerous drug and criminal apprehensions in Ada and throughout Hardin County and will be sorely missed.  Sgt. Matt Purdy with K9 Jaeger was named the 2016 Ada Employee of the Year.

According to Chief Harnishfeger, an effective K9 Program for our police agency is a critical tool for officer safety and drug interdiction.  K9 Jaeger was the only active K9 at the Ada Police Department and the future of our K9 Program will be assessed as time progresses.