Clay County K-9 set to return to work after fall through Kearney ceiling
A Clay County K-9 will be back on job Tuesday after he fell through an attic ceiling in Kearney during a tussle with one of the county’s “most wanted” criminal suspects.
Deputies with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office had been attempting to apprehend 54-year-old Eric Frazer since December, when he failed to appear in court for drug trafficking and fleeing a lawful stop charges, according to a news release from Sarah Boyd, public relations manager for the sheriff’s office.
Frazer has since fled from deputies at least two more times, Boyd said. He was placed on the sheriff’s office’s “most wanted” list on April 22.
Investigators found Frazer in an attic at a residence in the 16800 block of Ragsdale Road around 6 p.m. on May 1, Boyd said. Deputies sent K-9 Argos into the attic after Frazer refused to exit the space.
Frazer allegedly fought with Argos in the attic. He laid on top of the dog and forced his head into sheetrock, Boyd said. Frazer also pulled “hard on the leash around his neck, causing the leash line to break.”
Deputies, “fearing for everyone’s safety,” cut a hole into the home’s ceiling, Boyd said. Argos fell through, and was caught by a deputy.
Frazer was pulled from the ceiling and taken into custody after he was treated for bite wounds at an area hospital, Boyd said.
Argos was taken to a veterinary hospital, where he was treated for inhaling insulation, Boyd said. A veterinarian did not locate additional injuries, and Argos will be back on the job Tuesday.
Four deputies were also treated at an area hospital for minor injuries following the incident, Boyd said.
The Clay County Prosecutor’s Office charged Frazer with aggravated fleeing a stop, resisting arrest, assault on a law enforcement animal and four counts of assault on law enforcement, Boyd said.
The incident is the first time the prosecutor’s office has filed a charge under “Max’s Law,” Boyd said, which “makes it a crime to injure or kill a police animal.” The law was enacted in 2024.
Frazer is being held in the Clay County Detention Center without bond, Boyd said.
