PIPD mourns loss of K-9 Hunter
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — The Presque Isle Police Department is mourning the loss of one of their own, following the death of K-9 Hunter on Friday.
FOND MEMORIES — K-9 Hunter 
is pictured during a swim with his handler, PIPD Officer Kevin Schumacher. Hunter died Friday at the age of 10.
Officer Kevin Schumacher, the dog’s handler, said Hunter died around 3:30 p.m. on February 1.
Hunter joined the department about 10 years ago and had proved to be a valuable member of the department. He’d located several missing persons over the years, as well as criminals trying to evade police. He was also responsible for recovering stolen property on several occasions, including a theft from a Main Street law office in Presque Isle.
The K-9 was well-known throughout the state. Schumacher and Hunter were called on often to assist other agencies, including the sheriff’s department and Maine State Police.
“He solved so many cases that I can’t even count them off the top of my head. He even saved a few lives on the way. He worked cases for just about every agency in The County, including the Warden Service and State Police,” said Schumacher.
Hunter had slowed down in recent years, due to health issues. He resided with the Schumacher family, where he helped teach Beaufort, another bloodhound, how to trail scents.
Schumacher adopted Beaufort in 2011 and has been busy working to train the dog to serve the department in the same capacity as Hunter.
