Newest K-9 in Martin County tracks down wanted suspect

K-9 Zoli, the newest member of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, successfully tracked and captured a suspect who fled during an arrest along I-95 in Palm City, Florida.The Florida Highway Patrol was arresting a man Thursday afternoon when he broke free.”When the trooper was putting the gentleman in handcuffs, he took off. He went running down 95, into the bushes, over a wall,” Sgt. Christian Crandall of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies launched a large manhunt, but the suspect remained elusive. “We had air up. We had dozens of deputies in the area looking for him. No one could find him,” Crandall said. K-9 Zoli and his partner, Deputy Cam White, were called to the scene to begin a track. “When you trample on grass or foliage, it actually emits an odor in and of itself. So, the dogs are trained to track that odor along with the human scent,” Crandall said. It only took Zoli a few minutes to track down the suspect.Video from White’s body camera shows Zoli locating the man hiding in bushes.”The dog immediately knew, ‘Hey, there’s somebody in there.’ So, he poked his head in the bushes, Deputy White gave him another warning, said, ‘Come out now. You’re going to get dog bit,'” Crandall said. When the suspect failed to respond, White issued the bite command. “There’s no response. So, he gave the dog the bite command,” Crandall said. “And the dog went in and got him.” Zoli grabbed the suspect and dragged him out of the bushes to ensure the situation was under control. “Deputy White couldn’t see the suspect’s hands. He didn’t know if he had a weapon. So, it was best to just pull him on out. Once the situation was under control, he took his dog off the bite,” Crandall said. The suspect was taken into custody, handcuffed, and transported to jail. Crandall credited Zoli for the successful outcome. “If we didn’t have the K-9, in my opinion, simply enough, we would not have found him,” he said.Investigators identified the suspect as Jaime Silvabernal.He is back in the custody of the Florida Highway Patrol.Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here. Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News

PALM CITY, Fla. —

K-9 Zoli, the newest member of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, successfully tracked and captured a suspect who fled during an arrest along I-95 in Palm City, Florida.

The Florida Highway Patrol was arresting a man Thursday afternoon when he broke free.

“When the trooper was putting the gentleman in handcuffs, he took off. He went running down 95, into the bushes, over a wall,” Sgt. Christian Crandall of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies launched a large manhunt, but the

suspect remained elusive.

“We had air up. We had dozens of deputies in the area looking for him. No one could find him,” Crandall said.

K-9 Zoli and his partner, Deputy Cam White, were called to the scene to begin a track.

“When you trample on grass or foliage, it actually emits an odor in and of itself. So, the dogs are trained to track that odor along with the human scent,” Crandall said.

It only took Zoli a few minutes to track down the suspect.

Video from White’s body camera shows Zoli locating the man hiding in bushes.

“The dog immediately knew, ‘Hey, there’s somebody in there.’ So, he poked his head in the bushes, Deputy White gave him another warning, said, ‘Come out now. You’re going to get dog bit,'” Crandall said.

When the suspect failed to respond, White issued the bite command.

“There’s no response. So, he gave the dog the bite command,” Crandall said. “And the dog went in and got him.”

Zoli grabbed the suspect and dragged him out of the bushes to ensure the situation was under control.

“Deputy White couldn’t see the suspect’s hands. He didn’t know if he had a weapon. So, it was best to just pull him on out. Once the situation was under control, he took his dog off the bite,” Crandall said.

The suspect was taken into custody, handcuffed, and transported to jail.

Crandall credited Zoli for the successful outcome.

“If we didn’t have the K-9, in my opinion, simply enough, we would not have found him,” he said.

Investigators identified the suspect as Jaime Silvabernal.

He is back in the custody of the Florida Highway Patrol.

Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25

Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.

Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News