El Dorado County Sheriff K9 retiring after 8 years on the force

After eight years of service to El Dorado County, K9 Bakus has retired.

Bakus started his career with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office in 2008 and has since apprehended dangerous criminals and been responsible for taking copious amounts of narcotics off the streets.

At the beginning, the Sheriff K9 was partnered with Deputy Mike Roberts and was trained and certified in patrol operations.

During his second year on the force, Bakus became narcotics certified where he excelled immediately in the area of narcotics detection. He was so successful at finding drugs that he was awarded the Mother Lode Lions Club Officer of the Year. Bakus also became a hit among El Dorado County Narcotics Investigators and was called upon frequently to assist with major narcotics investigations.

During one operation, Bakus was asked to sniff around a car and detected a quarter-pound of meth and heroin from behind a headlight in a vehicle being driven by two high-ranking prison gang members.

Bakus has not only battled criminials, but he has also battled cancer, undergone nine mouth surgeries, fell from a second story window, tore a ligament and broke five teeth during his 8-year career.

His last day as an El Dorado County Sheriff's K9 will be Saturday.