INDIANA OFFICER DOWN

K9 Castorka

Whitley County Sheriff’s Department
End of Watch: Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Cause of Death: Vehicular assualt
Incident Location: WhitleyCounty
Handler: Deputy Gary Archbold

K-9 Castorka was killed as a result of an 18-mile, high-speed pursuit through two counties on U.S. 30 involving a stolen vehicle.

An Indiana state trooper began pursuing a vehicle west of Warsaw, in Kosciusko County, that had been reported stolen during an armed carjacking in Plymouth, in Marshall County. When the vehicle was stopped in Warsaw, the passenger exited but the driver sped away and continued eastbound. As the vehicle approached County Road 450 West on U.S. 30 where Stop Sticks had been deployed, the driver swerved and broadsided the squad car that K-9 Castorka occupied on its passenger side. The squad car was pushed into the westbound lanes where it became engulfed in fire. K-9 Castorka was not able to be removed from the squad car and died at the scene.

A 31-year-old male driver, who is a registered sex offender, was taken into custody at the scene.

K-9 Castorka, a female 3-year-old Belgium Malinois/German Shepherd mix, had served with the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department and Columbia City Police Department for two years.

K9 Castorka is honored on the Indiana Law Enforcement Memorial at https://inlem.org/k9/cas/