Mobile County Sheriff's Office K-9 recovering from injuries after arresting suspect

MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) — A Mobile County Sheriff's Office K-9 dog is recovering after being kicked in the face while on duty.

K-9 Hunter was evaluated and continues to be monitored after he was kicked in the head while chasing a suspect. On Tuesday, officers attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Robert Dees, 35, on Merwood Court in Theodore.

When officers arrived, Dees reportedly fled the property. K-9 Hunter was then deployed and caught Dees, but that's when the suspect intentionally kicked the K-9, injuring him in the left eye. We spoke with Sheriff Paul Burch about his condition and the danger officers and K-9s face on a daily basis.

“When the K-9 or a K-9 is deployed, you know, the officers follow the movement. They usually take them off their leash. And you never know if the suspects are armed or not,” said Sheriff Paul Burch. “The idea behind using the K-9 is to apprehend them before they get too far away and hopefully without hurting anyone, you know, especially my officers.”

Dees and K-9 Hunter were the only ones injured in the incident. For now, K-9 Hunter is taking things slowly and is expected to be okay. He has a retirement ceremony scheduled for next week. The sheriff's office tells us Hunter was scheduled to retire prior to Tuesday's incident.