Amador County – The Ione City Council last week accepted a donation of $650 from an Ione resident for the purchase of a bullet-proof police dog vest, for the city’s K9 officer.

The City Council accepted the donation from Ione resident Michelle Wagner to purchase a K9 Ballistic Vest, and also authorized staff to make the purchase of the vest with the donated funds. City Manager Kim Kerr said the donation would leave no cost to the city to make the purchase.

Mayor David Plank said it was unusual in this economic climate for a person to donate that amount of money. He said he was sure that Wagner “is a pet lover.” The vest will be used by the city K9 police dog, named “Pras.” Pras is a newly acquired German Shepard, which is now working as a patrol dog and will soon be trained to detect drugs, and will then do dual duty as the city’s drug dog, according to a recent report by Ione Police Chief Michael L. Johnson.

In a letter with her donation, Wagner said she believed Ione “will benefit greatly from the presence of this K9,” and she wanted “to ensure that the dog is as well protected from harm as his human partner.”

The City Council directed that a letter of thanks be written and sent to Wagner for her donation.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.