BY PORTSIA SMITH

The Louisa County Sheriff's Office is making plans to memorialize a six-year veteran of the department who died from injuries suffered in the line of duty.

Maggie, a police K-9 dog, did more than just "ruff" it out in the rural community, said Louisa's Sheriff's Maj. Donald Lowe. The 7-year-old black-and-tan bloodhound was known for cracking cases.

"She's worked nearly 350 cases for us and helped us capture wanted people, missing children, located stolen property and put people in crime scenes when no one else could," Lowe said yesterday. "She had a really nice career."

Maggie was attacked by a pit bull while performing a search Saturday morning. She died of her injuries Monday.

Lowe said Maggie and her handler, Lt. Patrick Sheridan, were called about 2 a.m. to help locate a suicidal person near Ferncliff Road in Louisa. As the duo started to follow a trail in the woods, Lowe said, another dog came out of the darkness and "violently attacked Maggie."

He said Maggie suffered a bad injury and "caught some type of bacterial infection and went septic and passed away."

He said the office is going to have a memorial service for her, but those plans were incomplete yesterday.

"This one hit us hard and we're still trying to wrap our heads around it," Lowe said.

Maggie joined the Louisa Sheriff's Office in the fall of 2005 as a puppy. In 2010, she had 55 call-outs that ranged from identifying a breaking-and-entering suspect to locating a missing 5-year-old child.

Lowe said Maggie was key in locating a large amount of marijuana during a narcotics investigation, finding a suspect in a church arson and was a frequent visitor to local elementary schools.

Her services have also been used in other jurisdictions, including Spotsylvania, Orange and Henrico counties. She also took part in Virginia State Police and FBI cases.

The dog that attacked Maggie is being held at an animal shelter and the suicidal person was found alive, Lowe said. The case is under investigation to see if any charges should be filed, he said.

Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419
Email: psmith@fredericksburg.com