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Policeman’s pet gets credit for arrest in Marion domestic dispute
By RALPH HARDIN
ralphhardin@gmail.com
The Marion Police Department is ever vigilant, working around the clock to keep the city safe. And last week, even one member of the MPD’s pet got in on the action in a strange turn of events.
Administrative Lieutenant Paul Turney was out in front of his residence with his little Yorkshire terrier Bee Bee Friday morning when a situation developed.
“I took Bee Bee out to take care of her morning business before going to work,” explained Turney. “We’d been out there a couple of minutes when she started getting real interested at something under the porch, barking and snif_ng around.”
Turney was expecting a cat or maybe some other kind of critter there, but upon inspection he and Bee Bee found a man hiding instead.
“I asked him, you know, like ‘hey man, what are you doing?’ He said he was homeless,” Turney said. “I offered to get him a ride to the shelter but he said he would walk. He wasn’t really dressed to go anywhere, so I told him to hold on because I had some clothes he could have to keep warm.”
Turney said he went back inside to _nd some clothes for the man and while inside, he called the station to get a patrol car to come by and
See BEE BEE, page A2
Bee Bee the crimefighting Yorkie strikes an intimidating pose.
Photo courtesy of Lt. Paul Turney BEE BEE
From page A1
pick the man up and take him to the shelter. It was then that the other shoe dropped.
“I called Dispatch and Tracy (Clark) answered,” said Turney. “I asked if she could send someone to get this guy, but she said, ‘Well, everyone’s already over there by your place because of the shooting. And I said, ‘what shooting?’” It turned out that earlier that morning, a domestic disturbance had taken a decidedly violent turn, with a man shooting his mother during an argument and police were searching for a suspect. It did not take long for Turney to put two and two together and realize that his pooch had bird-dogged a potentially dangerous criminal.
‘That’s when I went and got my gun and my handcuffs,” said Turney. “Luckily, he was still waiting outside and he didn’t he went quietly when I put him in custody.”
By the time everything was sorted out, Mario Collins, 43, was arrested and charged with Criminal Attempted First Degree Murder, Tampering with Physical Evidence, and Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. He is currently incarcerated at the Crittenden County Detention Center on an $80,000 bond. As for Bee Bee?
“She de_nitely gets at least half-credit that arrest,” said Turney. And hopefully a little treat as well.
COLLINS
