BROWNSDALE – Cleo’s debut as a member of the Mower County Sheriff’s Department was successful.

Monday, January 10, 2000

BROWNSDALE – Cleo’s debut as a member of the Mower County Sheriff’s Department was successful.

As a result, Jerrald A. Glynn is in the Mower County Jail and the five pounds of marijuana found in his possession off the streets.

In addition, a former Austin Police Department community service officer, Ryan Leif, was credited with alert police work that led to Glynn’s arrest.

"This was a substantial amount of marijuana that Chief Leif seized and our new canine unit got some field training all at the same time," Mower County Sheriff Barry J. Simonson said.

As far as Cleo goes, the new canine unit in the MCSD was used as a backup to the APD’s drug-sniffing dog, Rocket, and the canine units combined to discover drugs hidden in Glynn’s house and car.

Rocket is a veteran canine unit of the APD. Cleo is still in training to become a certified canine unit for the MCSD.

According to Simonson, it took teamwork of the peace officers and canine units to make the case Friday night.

Leif, who is now Brownsdale police chief, was on routine patrol Friday night when he received an anonymous tip of possible drug dealing involving a white Subaru.

Leif saw a car matching that description parked in front of a residence at 205 E. Main St. in Brownsdale and registered to Glynn, who lives there.

When Glynn’s car drove away and ran a stop sign, Leif stopped the vehicle, which also contained a female passenger.

Leif ordered Glynn out of the car and patted him down and discovered "soft lumps" in coat pockets. At that point, Glynn refused to let Leif search his vehicle.

A search warrant was obtained from a district court judge and the APD’s Matt Holten and canine unit Rocket went to Brownsdale to assist Leif and the MCSD, according to Simonson.

Both canine units "hit" on drugs, marijuana, in Glynn’s house and car, including some in sealed plastic bags hidden in a closet ceiling.

The total among of drugs, all marijuana seized Friday night, amounted to nearly five pounds, according to the sheriff’s report.

Glynn was placed in the Mower County Jail pending a court appearance on controlled substance charges this week. His female companion was not charged. Neither, according to the sheriff, did Glynn’s brother-in-law, David Green, have any apparent connection to the drugs kept in the house the two men occupied in Brownsdale.

No street value estimate was made of the seized marijuana.

Jeff Ellis, a MCSD deputy, who serves as the contract officer for LeRoy and also patrols eastern Mower County, lives in Brownsdale.

Ellis is the handler of the MCSD’s new canine unit, Cleo.

Both Ellis and Cleo are presenting completing their training before the animal can be certified. When that happens, discoveries by the dog can be used as evidence in district court.

"Because Cleo is not yet certified, I don’t know if the courts would accept any discoveries the canine unit would make now, but as soon as the dog is certified, those discoveries can be used in court," Simonson said.

"Helping Rocket make a bust Friday night in Brownsdale was the best field training the dog could get," he said.