JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials are mourning the death of a pioneer K-9 who passed away Thursday after a battle with cancer.
K-9 Maple, the agency’s first Electronic Storage Detection canine, passed away Thursday, FDLE said in a news release.
Maple’s career started in 2019 in FDLE’s Pensacola Region, where she was one of three canines assigned in the state and the only ESD canine in Florida’s Panhandle.
Most recently, Maple and her handler, Special Agent Supervisor Stephanie Cassidy, transferred to FDLE Jacksonville.
“Maple did amazing work in the field and lit up every room she entered at JROC. It was obvious to everyone that she loved what she did,” Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Mike Williams said in a statement. “She is loved by her JROC family and will be missed.”
She had been deployed more than 100 times helping officials collect about 200 pieces of evidence.