Four deputies are the Marion County Sheriff’s Office’s newest K-9 trainees.
They include:
- Cpl. Calvin Batts, who has been with the sheriff’s office since 2007, and his partner K-9 Jax, a 17-month-old Belgian Malinois.
- Cpl. Justin Tortora, who joined the sheriff’s office in 2012 and is a member of the SWAT team, and his partner K-9 Leo, a 19-month-old Belgian Malinois
- Dep. Gabriel Pulford, who has been with the sheriff’s office since 2018, and his partner K-9 Eli, a 16-month-old Belgian Malinois.
- Cpl. Kasey Rekully, who has served Marion County since 2015, and her partner K-9 Jet, an 18-month-old German Shepherd. Rekully could make history in the sheriff’s office by becoming the agency’s first female K-9 deputy.
The four deputies and their dogs are attending the K-9 academy and are set to graduate in February, when they will then take on their new titles and officially become the agency’s newest K-9 deputies.