THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, December 13, 1994 TAG: 9412130269
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
The bomb-sniffing dog whose state trooper handler was arrested in September and accused of planting explosive devices at a courthouse and two shopping malls has been retrained and has a new master.
Master Blaster, a 3-year-old black Labrador retriever, has been recertified for his explosives-sniffing capabilities and assigned to Trooper Mike Bradley, a 20-year state police veteran.
``They're doing very well together,'' said Claire Capel, a state police spokeswoman.
Bradley and Master Blaster trained together in a 12-week Explosive Canine Detector Program at the Virginia State Police Academy in Richmond. Capel said the dogs are trained to detect anything that contains nitrates and chlorates - items common to explosives and loaded weapons.
After the training, Bradley and the dog were certified in two days. Bradley and his new partner were assigned to the state police office in Culpeper.
Master Blaster's former handler, Vernon Roy Richards, has been suspended as a state trooper and is undergoing a psychological evaluation to determine whether he is competent to stand trial.
Richards was accused of placing explosive devices in the Hampton General District Court building in September, and at Coliseum Mall in Hampton and Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach last summer.
He and Master Blaster were credited with finding most of those devices.
KEYWORDS: POLICE DOG STATE POLICE by CNB