Barboursville Park statue pays tribute to K-9 Chase

Previous Coverage: Group raises funds for K-9 Officer Chase memorial and protective equipment

BARBOURSVILLE, WV (WOWK) – The community of Barboursville now has a monument to remember the legacy of a West Virginia K-9 who disappeared last spring.

A wooden statue of Chapmanville Police K-9 Officer Chase now stands at Barboursville Park in the West Virginia Police Canine Associations Law Enforcement Canine Memorial and Training Obstacle Course.

Members of the Justice for K-9 Officer Chase Facebook Group told WOWK 13 News Chief Meteorologist Spencer Adkins there will be a dedication ceremony for the memorial will be scheduled in the near future.

K-9 Chase, a Belgian Malinois born in 2019, was a Chapmanville PD K-9. His disappearance from his then-handler’s South Charleston home in April 2023 sparked a big desire to make a change when it comes to consequences for crimes against police dogs . Chase has still not been found.

Chase had only been with the Chapmanville PD about a month before his disappearance. At that time, the Chapmanville PD said Chase jumped the fence at his home, and when his handler, Officer Marcus Dudley, went to check on him, only his collar and the chain he was attached to were left.

However, as the South Charleston Police Department continued their investigation, they said they’d determined Chase did not escape from Dudley’s yard nor was he stolen from the yard.

In an April 20, 2023 update into their investigation, officers with the SCPD also said statements from Dudley regarding Chase’s disappearance were “inconsistent.” Later that day, the Chapmanville PD confirmed Dudley had been on administrative leave since Chase went missing.

As of April 24, 2023, the Chapmanville PD said Dudley was “ no longer employed ” by the department.

According to police reports, at least two people came forward in an attempt to report animal neglect on behalf of Chase’s former handler Marcus Dudley. The recently released reports state that Dudley’s search history showed he looked up “dog laws WV code” during this time. He was sentenced in November to six months in prison but only had to serve 17 days because of time served.

Prior to working for the Chapmanville PD, Chase had served as a K-9 for the Shenandoah County, Virginia, Sheriff’s Office.

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