LaPorte County, Indiana, Sheriff's office retires K9 who worked with deputy who was shot and wounded

LaPorte County, Indiana, Sheriff's office K9 Bosco, who worked with a deputy who was shot and critically wounded in the line of duty back in May, has retired from service.

Bosco worked with Deputy Jon Samuelson, who was shot in the emergency room of Franciscan Health Michigan City.

The sheriff's office said around the beginning of the year, agency administrators began talking about Bosco's future with Samuelson, and whether Samuelson wanted to go on working as a K9 handler after Bosco retired.

At the time, Bosco was still performing at a high level, the sheriff's office said. He had previously transitioned to a single purpose of narcotics detection.

However, Bosco was showing subtle signs of aging, the sheriff's office said.

Samuelson said he wanted to continue as a K9 handler with a new dog, and he was set to meet that new dog on June 26. Afterward, Samuelson and the new dog were set to attend narcotics detection training together in July at Vohne Liche Kennels in rural Indiana, the sheriff's office said.

Bosco was to retire on July 1.

But Indiana State Police said on the morning of May 22, Samuelson stopped to help a disabled vehicle on State Road 2, and the driver asked the deputy to take him to the hospital in Michigan City.

After he'd dropped the man off at the emergency room at Franciscan Health Michigan City, Samuelson was notified the man was a suspect in overnight criminal activity. Samuelson then returned to the emergency room to speak to the man.

Police said there was a physical altercation, and the man allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Samuelson three times, including once "point blank" in the neck, according to court documents.

The man accused of shooting Samuelson, Sharod Grafton Jr., 22, was charged in May with a felony count of attempted murder, battery against a public safety official and auto theft.

Court documents show Deputy Samuelson may have been shot more than three times if Grafton's gun hadn't jammed.

Samuelson was left in critical condition.

Since that incident, other K9 handlers and several deputies who are familiar with Bosco have been caring for him, the sheriff's office said.

Last week, administrators and Samuelson made the difficult, but necessary, decision to retire Bosco. The retirement took effect on Tuesday, July 28.

Bosco was known as the "Million-Dollar Dog," and had a respected reputation in the realm of highway interdiction, not just locally or within Northwest Indiana, but throughout the Midwest.

After being assigned full-time to the Highway Interdiction Unit, Bosco and Deputy Samuelson became one of the most successful K9 teams in the region, regularly busting drug traffickers traveling along highways and interstates in LaPorte County.

Altogether, Bosco was credited with the seizure of about $3.38 million in drug-associated money, 55.66 kilograms of crack cocaine, about 174 kilograms of methamphetamine, 10.37 grams of heroin, 12.59 grams of fentanyl, 2,093.5 pounds of marijuana — which is not legal for recreational use in Indiana — 5,113 TCH cartridges, 13 one-ounce gold bars, and two vehicles.

"Bosco's impact and legacy are truly remarkable. His successful finds undoubtedly prevented countless overdoses and saved lives while striking a significant blow against drug trafficking organizations," Sheriff Ronald C. Heeg said in a news release. "He and Deputy Samuelson were an incredible team. Their bond was inseparable, and together they made La Porte County a safer place to live and visit."

An update on Samuelson's condition was not immediately available.