The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department has acquired a new K9, and it’s been named in honor of a fallen first responder from Paw Paw.
The department says K-9 Quillen will be replacing the recently retired Kuno, who served Van Buren County for seven years.
Quillen is named for Paw Paw Fire Department Lieutenant Ethan Quillen, who died in the line of duty on February 2, 2023. Ethan Quillen was killed at the scene of a downed power line during a storm in Almena Township.
The sheriff’s department says K9 Quillen is a German Shepard-Belgian Malinois mix born in Poland in September of 2022. Deputy Eric Calhoun is his handler, and the two attended a six-week basic training class in Berrien Center.
On K-9 Quillen’s first day of service, he found drugs hidden under the hood of a stopped vehicle. Van Buren County Sheriff Dan Abbott calls that “a perfect first day of work.” Abbott adds he has “no doubt that K-9 Quillen will be an excellent addition to the Sheriff’s Office team, just as Ethan was an outstanding member of the Paw Paw Fire Department.”
