GENEVA TWP., MI (WKZO/WHTC) – Thanks to another heroic effort from a noted police canine, a fleeing suspect near South Haven was apprehended Friday afternoon.
According to Van Buren County Sheriff’s Sergeant Greg Pentland, a deputy spotted a pickup truck around 1:15 p.m. on County Road 288 and attempted to pull it over for multiple traffic violations. The driver refused to stop; a short pursuit ensued, which ended when the driver pulled into a private driveway and jumped out of the vehicle; and a foot chase ended when K-9 Deputy Kuno tracked down the motorist.
The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Juan Pablo Gallegos-Sanchez, was arrested without further incident. He had several warrants out for his arrest. The incident remains under investigation.
Kuno has had an eventful career in the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department. In July of 2021, he suffered three stab wounds in an attempt to apprehend a 39-year-old man who was holed up at a Gobles residence. The suspect was subsequently shot to death in a confrontation with human deputies, while the dog was treated for his wounds and released.
In a six-week span in early 2020, Kuno helped apprehend a 24-year-old Lawrence man who had assaulted an ex-girlfriend and her mother, and a man in Gobles wanted on a probation violation. Nearly four years ago, Kuno again tracked down a Gobles man after a 200-yard foot chase.
