K-9 officer debuts with drug bust in San Benito County

Fino the K-9 officer had quite a debut on its first day of patrol in San Benito County.

According the Sheriff’s Office, Fino helped locate nearly an ounce of methamphetamine and almost 16 pounds of marijuana, leading to the arrest of four people.

On October 26, 2016, deputies were called to a home in the 300 block of Magladry Road to assist with Hollister Animal Control’s seizure of two dogs. During the call, a deputy spotted a man hide something on the back porch. It turned out to be 4 grams of methamphetamine.

Deputy Hutchinson, Fino’s human partner, directed the K-9 to search the home and a car, where Fino found another 4 grams of methamphetamine hidden in a hollowed out book. In the car’s trunk, he found almost 16 pounds of processed marijuana.

A search of the property revealed an illegal marijuana cultivation operation.

Kevin Sexton and Earl Matthews, both 49, and Nick Strader, 37, were arrested on narcotic sales and marijuana cultivation charges. A fourth person, Jennifer Riggs, 54, was arrested for a probation violation.