Police K-9 dies after recent cancer diagnosis

A police department in Texas says a K-9 named Lt. Dan has died after a recent cancer diagnosis. (Sansom Park Police Department)

Fort Worth, Texas

A police department in Texas reports one of its beloved K-9s has died.

According to the Sansom Park Police Department, officers said their final goodbyes to a K-9 named Lt. Dan earlier this week.

The department said that Lt. Dan died after a recent cancer diagnosis. He was partners with Officer Hagin for 11 years.

Officers said Lt. Dan completed an open-air sniff on three separate cars in a narcotics investigation that led to an $8,000 drug bust even on his final night of duty.

Officer Hagin said he took his partner on one last ride on Monday in their police vehicle. He rewarded Lt. Dan with some heartfelt love and one of his favorite toys after their last successful exercise.

“We will miss you now, but we will love you forever,” the department shared on social media.

Middle school worker accused of sexually assaulting student, sending explicit images

A Connecticut middle school employee, Andie Rosafort, is accused of sexually assaulting a student. (Connecticut State Police)

New Fairfield, Conn.

Connecticut authorities say a middle school worker has been charged with sexually assaulting a student.

According to the Connecticut State Police, Andie Rosafort was arrested in February and charged with second-degree sexual assault, enticing a minor with a computer and risk of injury to a minor after a month-long investigation.

Officials said Rosafort had worked in the cafeteria at New Fairfield Middle School where she began communicating with the student.

Rosafort reportedly began exchanging messages on social media with the juvenile. The student told police they received unsolicited sexually explicit images and videos from Rosafort for several months.

The juvenile alleged that Rosafort would send messages requesting images of them as well.

In January, police said a parent of the juvenile’s friend contacted them regarding the situation.

According to the department, the parent said their child had told them that the juvenile victim was behaving oddly while at a gathering where the victim had left to meet someone.

Authorities said that parent’s child later learned that the juvenile had left the party to meet with an adult female and believed the encounter was sexual in nature.

The parent said they tentatively identified the adult woman involved as Rosafort and promptly notified school officials.

When interviewed, police said the juvenile told them that Rosafort had picked them up from the gathering that evening in her SUV. The two then drove a short distance and had contact of a sexual nature inside the vehicle.

According to the victim, they felt uncomfortable, exited the SUV and returned to the gathering. Police said a friend then helped block Rosafort on social media after observing explicit messages between the two.

Detectives said they discovered several videos on a social media platform containing explicit content involving Rosafort that were sent to the juvenile’s phone.

Following an extensive investigation, detectives said they applied for a warrant for Rosafort’s arrest on Feb. 17 and she turned herself in a few days later.

WFSB reports that Rosafort was no longer a school employee as of Jan. 18, according to school officials.

Bank robber refuses to leave, waits for officers to arrest him, police say

Salt Lake City

A man was arrested after police say he robbed a bank and waited for them to arrive.

According to the Salt Lake City Police Department, officers were called to a bank robbery in the downtown area on Monday morning.

Police said a 65-year-old man entered the bank and demanded money from a teller.

The man reportedly took the money but then refused to leave.

Authorities identified the man as Donald Santacroce. They said responding officers and a sergeant were able to take him into custody.

Officers booked Santacroce into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on one count of robbery.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Police: Men arrested for animal neglect after bringing starving dog to animal hospital

Police in Iowa say Noah Jorgenson and John Lofton have been arrested for animal neglect. (Polk County Jail)

Des Moines, Iowa

Iowa authorities say two men are facing animal neglect charges after they brought an emaciated dog to an animal hospital that died.

According to the Des Moines Police Department, Noah Jorgenson and John Lofton, both 21, have been charged with two counts of animal neglect after they brought an underweight adult husky over the weekend to Iowa Veterinary Specialties.

Officials said the dog weighed 12 pounds when a healthy weight for an adult husky should be in the range of 35 to 60 pounds.

Veterinarians were forced to euthanize the dog. According to police, a necropsy revealed the animal had not been fed for weeks.

Officers said upon the suspects’ arrest, they also rescued two more huskies from their home that were being kept in cages where they couldn’t stand.

The two additional dogs have since been moved to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, police said.

Lofton is also facing charges of violating probation.

Driver stranded on snow-covered road in forest uses drone to signal for help

Authorities say a stranded motorist in Oregon attached a phone to a drone to get a signal to call for help. (Lane County Sheriff's Search and Rescue)

Eugene, Ore.

Authorities in Oregon say a driver used his drone to help alert them to his location after getting stuck on a remote road in the snow.

According to Lane County Search and Rescue, the man was stranded in the Willamette National Forest and realized he didn’t have cell service. He also knew his family was out of town, so he decided to use his drone to get help.

The stranded driver attached his cellphone to the drone, typed out a message with his location, and launched it in the air to get a working signal.

Authorities said the drone’s elevation allowed the man’s phone to connect to a cell tower and send the message to his friend.

Rescuers were then able to deploy a team to his location and get him to safety.

Rescue crews said they also found another driver who was stranded nearby in the snow for multiple days.

The search and rescue team said it was happy with the outcome of this service call, but reminded everyone to travel with caution during the winter months.