Sheriff's Office mourns loss of K-9 Baron

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — There are heavy hearts at the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office as the search for a man accused of killing a deputy's K-9 has been narrowed down to West St. Augustine.

Drapes cover the entrance to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office and the flags are at half staff, in memory of the K-9 named Baron.  A picture of him is now on display in the front lobby of the Sheriff's Office, a reminder that he was more than a dog.

Baron died in the intense search for 26-year-old Brandon Allison.  He's been on the run since deputies responded to report of a disturbance on Twin Aspen Circle at 3:20 a.m.

Allison, wanted on a warrant for selling cocaine, ran off.

The Sheriff's Office brought in Baron to help chase him down.

The 2-year-old German shepherd picked up the man's scent and ran after him before his handler, Deputy Farrah Ashe, could catch up with him.

"She heard the dog engage on an individual she described as having a male voice," said Cmdr. Chuck Mulligan.  "She never saw the individual that I know of at this point in time.  [She] engaged on that subject and then everything went quiet," added Mulligan.

Deputies called off the search for Allison in the woods near SR 207 and Interstate 95 Tuesday morning, shifting their efforts elsewhere.

WJAX