KIRBY, Texas – Fresh out of training, Kirby Police Officer Brandon Murphy and K-9 Jake worked their first weekend in the field, and what started as a routine traffic stop eventually turned into K-9 Jake's first bust.
Murphy said he pulled over a driver, identified as Jonathon Urdialez, after the driver allegedly ran a stop sign.
When Urdialez's driver’s license did not match his identity, Murphy said he checked the car and discovered about 5 grams of meth hidden in the dome light of the vehicle.
It wasn’t much, but what they found next could be the key to more than 100 cases of stolen mail, police said.
“The driver had multiple fake ID’s -- different names and date of births -- all fake driver's license numbers,” Murphy said of the stack of folders found in the back seat of the vehicle Urdialez was driving. “In those folders, we found checks, bank statements, credit cards, driver’s licenses -- you name it, we found it in there.”
Urdialez was out on bond for a November arrest. Murphy arrested him, this time on charges of forgery and possession.
Kirby police believe the IDs were stolen from mailboxes, and possibly from a company. Investigators are reaching out to other agencies for help contacting the victims.
“The detectives are going to try and go through all the names and try to find whatever contact info they can, based on the addresses, DMV system, and start contacting people one by one,” Murphy said.
The city of Kirby purchased Jake for $10,500. It is the first time in the city’s history the agency has had a K9 officer.
Jake has been on the job for two weeks and, so far, it looks as if he's getting along just fine.
Here are some frequently asked questions about police K-9s.
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