Sad news came out of Vernon Parish on Tuesday when the Sheriff’s Department there announced the death of Duke, an 11-year-old Bloodhound K-9 who had been involved in several incidents here in this area.
Duke and his handler, Deputy Ricky Stephens, are credited with more than one hundred captures, but most important of all were cases involving lost children that Duke was able to track down.
The following are some memorable incidents involving Duke in this area:
November 2016 – A woman was missing from south Texas. Her car was discovered in the Bleakwood area in Newton County, but there was no sign of her. Duke tracked her down her about an hour later and found her confused and disoriented, but otherwise ok.
July 2020 - Zachary Christopher Allen Outman, a 2-year-old Vernon Parish boy, went missing at about six o’clock in the evening when he wandered away from his home west of Leesville. Duke and Vernon Parish deputies found him that night about 3 miles away from his house. The child was tired and wanted a popsicle.
July 2020 – Daniel Hooks, a fugitive escapee wanted on a parole violation warrant, was on the run for two days in the Bon Ami Road area between Jasper and Kirbyville. However, he didn’t escape Duke who logged his 99th career capture when he took deputies to Daniel Hooks.
August 2020 – Duke made his 100th capture when the Bloodhound led Vernon Parish deputies on a 9-mile long scent trail through heavily wooded areas in Allen Parish. He was credited with capturing one of three men who tried to steal an ATM machine from a bank in Oakdale, Louisiana. Two were arrested shortly thereafter, but Duke caught the last one.
https://www.kjas.com/news/local_news/article_bd1d2a64-cb0f-11ec-8a5d-3b934d65cfc9.html