‘Rest easy our protector’: Madison County K-9 deputy Archer dies in hospital Friday

MADISON COUNTY, Fla. (WCTV) - A Madison County K-9 deputy died Friday, a day after he fell ill while tracking a suspect.

Madison County Sheriff David Harper shared the tragic news of K-9 Deputy Archer’s passing via a Facebook post on Friday afternoon. He thanked Archer for his unwavering commitment to the community, and he also thanked the medical professionals who cared for the K-9 deputy in his final moments. The sheriff said memorial arrangements will be shared later.

The 6-year-old had been with MCSO for about 5 years, according to Undersheriff Chris Andrews. His passing is considered a line-of-duty death, Andrews said. Archer was with his handler, others in his canine unit and medical staff at the time of his death.

“Rest easy our protector, we will continue to hold the line in your honor,” Harper wrote.

The German Shepherd was hospitalized Thursday evening and listed in “critical” condition. Harper said that K-9 Archer overheated after playing an important role in capturing a suspect Thursday.

Several deputies were dispatched to pursue a man who allegedly ran away from a traffic stop.

A deputy attempted to pull the suspect over after clocking him speeding on Interstate 10, Andrews said. But the suspect didn’t stop, instead taking an exit to State Road 14 in Madison County, pulling down a dirt road and crashing the car into a bunch of trees, Andrews said.

That’s when the driver ditched the car — and the passenger inside — and ran into the woods, the undersheriff said.

Ultimately, the sheriff’s office deployed a drone and K-9 Archer, who led them to capture the driver in some trees in an area near Sampala Lake Road, according to Harper and Andrews.

“A short while ago, K9 Archer was instrumental in apprehending a felon,” the sheriff said in a video on Facebook Thursday.

The undersheriff explained Archer’s role in the arrest.

“That dog immediately picked up the track of the individual that fled from the vehicle, tracked that deputy straight to him,” Andrews said. “As soon as they got close, the individual jumps up, runs again. So we ended up catching the guy.”

Harper commended the K-9 deputy’s dedication to his community.

The sheriff’s office wrote a heartfelt note online sharing how devastated they were to lose Archer. The K-9 deputy overheated while tracking the suspect.

As the dog and his handler headed back to the car after locating the driver, K-9 Archer started acting sick, according to Andrews. His handler immediately sought medical treatment for the dog.

The German Shepherd was stabilized at the Madison Veterinary Clinic before being rushed via ambulance and deputy escort to Allied Veterinary Emergency Hospital in Tallahassee, according to Harper.

K-9 Archer’s condition changed rapidly Thursday evening, the undersheriff said. Multiple Madison County Sheriff’s deputies waited at the hospital as the K-9 deputy received emergency care.

“It’s 50/50 right now,” Andrews said that night.

At about 9 p.m., the undersheriff said that the K-9 deputy’s temperature had returned to “pretty normal” and his heart rate and breathing were both “better than it was.”

About an hour later, the undersheriff said that the dog was being transported to the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital in Gainesville. It is not immediately clear why the K-9 deputy is being transferred.

“K9 Archer has shown small signs of improvement however his condition is still listed as critical,” the sheriff wrote in an update posted to Facebook.

But the sheriff’s office said K-9 Archer was still at UF Small Animal Hospital in an intensive care unit receiving plasma transfusions.

“A lot of uncertainty remains as he continues to receive the best care available,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook.

MCSO shared Friday that two Tallahassee men were arrested in connection to the pursuit Archer assisted with. Among other charges, 22-year-old Daniel-Isaiah Terry, faces a charge of fleeing or eluding a law enforcement officer at high speed and causing great harm to a police animal, per the records.

The last time a local K-9 officer died in the WCTV’s Florida viewing area was in 2013, when Koda from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office was shot in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial website. The LCSO K-9 deputy was trying to take down a suspect who fled after a vehicle chase.

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