HEROES VEST FUND DONATES BODY ARMOR TO SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT K-9

Heroes Vest Fund, Inc. will donate one additional tailored-made body armor vest to a Lexington County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Unit police dog. The vest will be donated at about 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 28 near the end of the Jailbreak 5K road race at the Lexington County James R. Metts Law Enforcement Complex, 521 Gibson Road, Lexington.

Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts and Elaine Henderson, who founded Heroes Vest Fund, said the body armor vest will be donated to K-9 Injas, who works with K-9 Deputy R.D. Longshore.

Heroes Vest Fund also has purchased one body armor vest for K-9 Ronin, who works with K-9 Sgt. Derek Applegate, Metts and Henderson said. The body armor vest will be officially donated to K-9 Ronin at a later date.

Heroes Vest Fund previously donated body armor vests to K-9 Bayka, who works with K-9 Deputy Brian Hinz; K-9 Arcos, who works with K-9 Deputy Ted Xanthakis; and K-9 Barut, who works with K-9 Deputy Shannon Radford, Metts and Henderson said.

Crossroads Animal Hospital donated money to buy one body armor vest for K-9 Gunter in memory of the late Sheriff’s Department K-9 Bas, Metts and Henderson said. K-9 Gunter works with K-9 Deputy Adam Clayton.

Each body armor vest is specially manufactured in order to fit the body shape of each K-9 police dog, Metts and Henderson said. The vests are designed so that the police dogs can wear the vests the entire time that they are working with their assigned handlers.

“As a result of citizens’ generosity in donating money to Heroes Vest Fund, we will equip all six of our agency’s K-9 police dogs with body armor vests,” Metts said. “This specialized equipment, which is difficult to buy through the normal governmental budget process, protects the K-9 police dogs that help fulfill our agency’s mission of providing professional law enforcement services that enhance the quality of life for all people in Lexington County.”