Cops and Courts, Latest News

Former police officer in jail

BY CARRIE HODOUSEK

CHARESTON — A former Chapmanville police officer charged in connection with the disappearance of a K-9 officer is back in West Virginia.

Marcus Dudley, 26, was booked into the South Central Regional Jail without bond Thursday evening.

Dudley, formerly of South Charleston, was arrested Aug. 15 in Henry County, Ga., after failing to appear twice for his arraignment earlier this month in Kanawha County Circuit Court.

Dudley was previously indicted by a grand jury on three counts of falsely reporting an emergency, two counts of making false statements and obstructing an officer and one count of animal cruelty.

K-9 Officer Chase went missing in April and has not been found since then.

Chase is a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois.

Investigators said Dudley provided inconsistent statements regarding the police dog’s disappearance.

Dudley said Chase escaped from his South Charleston home and then said the dog ran away “from an unidentified park at or near Charleston, West Virginia.”

Dudley will be arraigned in Kanawha County Circuit Court on Monday.