Reasons to Picket -
Kennel master for Chatham K-9 unit fired
http://www.savannahmorningnews.com/smn/stories/061699/LOCK9firing.html
Kennel master for Chatham K-9 unit fired
Sheriff said Lt. Tony Derryberry used a dog to work a private job.
The Savannah Morning News
6/16
By Erik Tryggestad
Savannah Morning News
The kennel master for Chatham County's K-9 unit was fired after he took a
bomb-sniffing dog to Florida to work a private job for his own personal gain,
according to the county sheriff.
Lt. Tony Derryberry also built pipe bombs -- in violation of federal law -- to
help train Chatham's K-9 units, said Sheriff Al St Lawrence.
Derryberry, who was fired May 11, was part of the county's K-9 unit, which uses
dogs to sniff out drugs and bombs.
Since 1997, the unit has been partially financed by a government grant, but it
operates under the direction of the Chatham County Sheriff's Department and
assists federal, state and local agencies in conducting drug searches in
Southeast Georgia.
Derryberry took a dog trained to find explosives from its handler on May 6 and
went with it to Clearwater, Fla., to work a private job -- inspecting a site for
a conference of the Church of Scientology, St Lawrence said Tuesday.
He spent two days in Florida with the specially trained dog -- an investment for
the county of about $8,500 -- without department approval, the sheriff said.
"He left the handler with nothing to do but get paid for two days without
working," according to a letter sent by St Lawrence to the committee that
administers the program's grant money.
On one of those days, there was a bomb threat at Groves High School and only one
drug dog was available, St Lawrence said. Having a second dog available would
have allowed them to carry out a quicker and less disruptive search of the
school.
Derryberry joined the Chatham County Sheriff's Department in August 1986, said
enforcement administrator Maj. John Murray.
The K-9 unit, the first of its kind in the state, began in April 1990, Murray
said. Derryberry was among its first dog handlers and trainers. He was given the
title of kennel master, which put him in charge of training and other
administrative operations.
"He helped get the program off the ground, no question," St Lawrence said.
The unit, located near the county jail off Chatham Parkway, runs training
programs for dogs and handlers from across the state.
It was one of these training programs that also got Derryberry into trouble,
according to St Lawrence's letter. The sheriff said Derryberry did not maintain
the explosives bunker as he should have.
The bunker, which houses training devices for the dogs and their handlers,
contained old, unexploded bombs that were leaking chemicals, according to the
letter.
There were also pipe bombs in the bunker that were built in violation of federal
law, the letter stated.
St Lawrence said he called bomb experts with the Chatham County Police's bomb
unit to investigate the bunker after he fired Derryberry.
"On examining the bunker, we found three PVC pipe bombs containing black and
smokeless powder, two galvanized steel pipe bombs containing black powder ...
and six sticks of deteriorated glycerin-based dynamite. All items were taken to
a (disposal) site and destroyed," according to the county's incident report,
filed with the FBI May 13.
When reached at his home in Springfield, Derryberry said he could not comment on
the terms of his firing.
"I think I need to talk to some people first. It's in my own best interest,"
Derryberry said.
Taking Derryberry's place on the K-9 unit is Chatham County Lt. Terry Enoch.
Crime and public safety reporter Erik Tryggestad can be reached at 652-0318.
