Retired New Castle K-9 Passes Away

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NEW CASTLE (KDKA) -- A retired New Castle City Police K-9 officer has passed away.

The New Castle City Police Department announced Monday that retired K-9 Champ died Friday morning.

Champ started his K-9 career with the New Castle Police Department in January 2012. He was a dual-purpose K-9 certified in narcotic detection and patrol.

The police department says Champ assisted police in more than 300 incidents before retiring due to health issues in April 2018.

New Castle Police say Champ died peacefully from natural causes at his home with his handler Sgt. John Colella and his family.