DNR K-9 officer helps bring home 4-year-old runaway with autism

WCCO

By John Lauritsen

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    ONAMIA, Minnesota (WCCO) — A Minnesota family is thanking a Department of Natural Resources officer and his K-9 for bringing their son home safely.

On April 21, the 4-year-old boy, who has autism and is non-verbal, wandered away from his home near Onamia. He’s also drawn to water, which was a concern.

“He’s always laughing, smiling. He walks in the room and brightens everyone up,” said Tina Ponce about her 4-year-old son, Sammy.

Sammy is always looking for an adventure. But that’s a challenge too, because as part of his autism elopement, he’ll just take off running. Last Monday, Sammy got away from his grandma, got through an open door, and headed right for the woods.

“There’s no stopping him. And he runs faster than I do. Sometimes it’s a little bit difficult so we are always holding his hand,” said Ponce.

But Ponce and the rest of the family had no idea where he went. They were worried he’d fall into a pond or marsh. So, they called the police and it wasn’t long before a search crew was on the ground and a drone was in the air.

“Whenever you get a call about a kid, it’s always a hard thing. You hope and pray for the best,” said DNR Conservation Officer Mike Krauel.

Krauel initially didn’t know about the search for Sammy. But once he found out, he and his sidekick Bolt arrived on scene. After all, this is what they train for.

“Bolt is trained to find just human odor. Any person that’s in the woods,” said Krauel.

By the time Krauel and Bolt arrived, Sammy had been missing for about two hours out in the woods. It took them just eight minutes to track him down.

“We just needed him to get downwind of him. As soon as he did, he took off running for him,” said Krauel.

Sammy was found a quarter mile away from home, cold and wet, but otherwise OK. For Bolt, it’s a game of hide-and-seek, and one that he likes to win. Ponce is just thankful he’s really good at it.

“I’m going to say that I have three of my own dogs but Bolt is definitely my favorite right now,” said Ponce.

Krauel said Bolt got a special meal on the way home. He also said his own kids take part in Bolt’s hide-and-seek search and rescue exercises.

Sammy is now the second person Bolt has rescued in two years.

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