A speeding Florida motorist got more than he bargained for when he tried to flee police by running into a muddy swamp on Tuesday.
Body cam video from Pasco County Sheriff’s officers showed their police dog licking the face of the 34-year-old suspect after being apprehended in knee-deep water.
“He was licking on the guy and we’ll let him do that,” Deputy Rob Wilkins said during a press conference Wednesday. “He was proud of himself, like ‘Oh my god, I found the bad guy.'”
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The pursuit began when Pasco County Sheriff’s officers spotted the 34-year-old driving a truck, which was the subject of another police incident in a neighbouring county.
“We didn’t have a lot of information on what the charges were. We just know that he had battered a Hernando County Deputy,” Wilkins said. “We’re going to exhaust all efforts to go find him.”
After a short chase, the suspect crashed and abandoned the vehicle.
That’s when the officers called on K-9 Knox to track the suspect.
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K-9 Knox used his keen sense of smell to lead Deputy Wilkins and Corporal Denbo straight to where the suspect was laying.
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“The odour will hang on top of the water,” Deputy Wilkins said, which allowed K-9 Knox to locate the suspect.
According to officers, the suspect had worked his body deep enough into the swampy muck that officers struggled to remove him from the mud.
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Police eventually arrested Paul Daniel Smith and charged him with flee to elude, aggravated assault on an officer, and violation of probation.
K-9 Knox, who was covered with stink and mud, received a reward for his good work.
“Normally he gets a bath either at our K-9 kennel or outside with a hose,” said Wilkins, who doubles as K-9 Knox’s owner. “He got a bath inside the shower last night. My wife was happy to help give him a bath inside the shower.”
WATCH: Full press conference with Pasco County officers
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