URGENT! We are still fighting for K9 Indy! We also want to keep our supporters informed and are so:

This morning, Investigator Crano and K9 Indy were requested to serve a search warrant. While on location, David Frattare, Ohio’s ICAC Task Force Commander, and his office staff ambushed Crano. 

Investigator Crano arrived to execute an ICAC warrant and assist in the apprehension of a pedophile- as she has done hundreds of times before. However, Crano did not get to do so. K9 Indy did not even get to do her job. 

K9 Indy was not even able to “run” this warrant. So, from where I stand, a voter and a taxpayer, potential evidence that could help put away a criminal may not have been found this morning. 

K9 Indy was scheduled to be turned over on Friday, November 1, 2024. Two days away. Prosecutor O’Malley and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office preemptively took K9 Indy without notice. 

Was this warrant real? Did ICAC and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office set Investigator Crano up?

David Frattare cited a section of the Ohio Revised Code, Section 9.62 which states: A law enforcement officer who leaves an equine or canine unit of a law enforcement agency while the police dog or horse assigned to the officer is still fit for duty forfeits the right to purchase the animal under this section. However, Investigator Crano is still under employment and was given permission by county human resources to use her accrued personal time off balances. Crano’s resignation is effective on December 1, 2024.

While the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office has not responded to Crano’s pleas to keep K9 Indy or to the media’s request to discuss this further, one could argue that one of the reasons they do not want to lose K9 Indy is because of her skillset. However, the truth of that is the training for this skillset is a very short program. For instance, the National Computer Forensics Institute teaches an Electronic Detection class that is 2 weeks long (ncfi.usss.gov). 

It could also be argued that the county would lose money. When in fact, Investigator Crano has offered the price of $15,000 to purchase K9 Indy. Further, many non-profits gift K9s for law enforcement departments such as Our Rescue (OURrescue.org), Knot Today (kNOTTODAY.org) and even DoTerra Essentials Oils was donating K9s for a time. 

In fact, Investigator Crano’s prior K9 Diana, was gifted to the county by the former Neighborhood Electronic Detection K9, Inc. No purchase price was paid. 

So what about K9 Indy? K9 Indy was purchased with federal grant monies. The Department of Justice gives ICAC a yearly grant, which is meant to help ICAC procure what it needs to apprehend  pedophiles.  Yet, once again, Crano offered $15,000 of her own money (not a GoFundMe) and Prosecutor O’Malley will not even have a discussion. 

What could possibly be the real motivation here? Was it because Crano resigned? Was it because she spoke to the media? If it was, it’s retaliatory and a violation of Crano’s constitutional right to free speech, including freedom of press, which is guaranteed under the First Amendment.

The actions taken by Prosecutor O’Malley and  the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office are cowardly. Crano’s children, family and her other retired K9 Diana were not able to say goodbye to a beyond beloved family member. Not to mention what this will do to K9 Indy, who has known anxiety issues. This is tantamount to animal cruelty as far as K9 Indy is concerned and intentional infliction of emotional distress to Crano and her family. It is a horrible misuse of power, an abuse of county resources, a waste of taxpayer dollars and morally reprehensible.