An excerpt from the book, “Some Gave All,” available on Amazon
By Mike Simmons
James O’Hara is from Pensacola. He has roots here and he belongs here. He is part of Pensacola. James grew up in Montclair. The neighborhood was full of kids – running, playing ball, riding bikes. It was every child’s dream to grow up in such a neighborhood. It was also found 487 yards away from a beautifully wooded spot that would make a great cemetery for pets…someday.
In the first part of April 1995, James became an Escambia County Deputy Sheriff. He loved it! After only a few short years, he was approached…a K-9 officer? Did he want to do that? That was not an answer that he could make alone. Joining the K-9 Corps is an “all-in-the-family” ordeal. It is not a 40-hour a week job. Officer and dog work together, train together and live together…along with the officer’s wife (or husband) and kids. It becomes part of the family. Not to worry, though. James and his family welcomed the new member.
“Wolf.” What a name for a police K9! It even sounds intimidating. And he had the looks to back it up. Wolf, the newest member of the Escambia County Sheriff’s K9 Corps and the newest member of the O’Hara family, was a beautiful black and tan German Shepherd. He was born in Germany on December 14, 1991. When he stood up and had his attention on something – or someone – his gaze was menacing. It was enough to make a bad guy turn good!
On Tuesday, April 25, 1995, the team of “O’Hara and Wolf were working a regular day of patrol – if a “regular” day ever exists. They were called by the dispatcher to respond to downtown Pensacola to track two escaped prisoners. Within a few minutes, the team arrived. James got Wolf out of the car and put him on the scent. Like he was made for it, Wolf picked up the scent and started tracking north. Even though Wolf was new, and James wasn’t completely comfortable with reading his signs, he could tell that Wolf was on the right track.
Within a few minutes, both men were in custody. As a bonus, one of them would not surrender peacefully, when meant that Wolf got to, with his teeth, drag him back to James, you know, as kind of a trophy. “Daddy, look what I got! I did good, didn’t I, Daddy?”
On February 23, 1998, Deputy Selzer Pickett was on patrol when, at 4:15 pm, he saw it. But honestly, it wasn’t hard to pick out[1]. You would have thought that 17-year-old Maurice Griggs would have chosen a car to steal that stood out less than a red Mustang. Deputy Pickett fell in behind and flipped on the lights. The chase was on. For two hours, deputies pursued the fleeing Mustang. Lucky or skilled – probably both – Griggs managed to keep from his pursuers. Then, at a wooded swampy area near the Montclair subdivision, he abandoned the car and ran into the swamp.
Wolf watched from the back seat of James O’Hara’s police cruiser the entire event. He was pleading – whining – with James to let him get out and get after Griggs. James pulled up to where Griggs left the car and went ahead to get Wolf out and start a track. But then James saw something in the woods. Yes! It was Griggs – in the woods, trying to make a getaway. James thought for a second to make sure he was on sure footing, legally. Yes. It was a felony; the suspect was fleeing and was in sight. He turned to Wolf, whose every muscle was shaking in anticipation. A thousand times since that moment, James has thought about it. Should he have let Wolf out? And probably a thousand times, he has assured himself that he would have.
When the back door to the cruiser opened, Wolf was out like lightning. He bolted straight for the bad guy, just like he had done hundreds of times before, in training and in real situations. He would never run again.
I don’t know why it is, but there always seems to be a young man that thinks he is so fast that he will be the first person in the history of the world to outrun a pursuing K9. But, like all the others, Griggs wasn’t fast enough. Just as he was trained, Wolf sank his teeth deep into the upper thigh of the criminal. That stopped the pursuit. If Griggs would have given up, Wolf, as he is trained to do, would have simply held until Deputy O’Hara arrived.
In an instant, in an act of selfish cowardice, Griggs, who was armed, pulled a semi-automatic pistol and shot Wolf in the face. Wolf had only hours to live. In those few moments, one wonders what went through this warrior’s mind. “What happened? I was just playing “bite the bad guy like my master told me to do. I just hope my master is okay.” A dog’s sense of loyalty is on another level from humans.
But his master, Deputy James O’Hara, was not okay. He was…angry. Of course, he was. But something worked in his favor. When Griggs shot Wolf, his gun was aimed in the direction of James. He was shooting at James. James returned fire but missed. Griggs slipped away[2].
The search began. All law enforcement units that could be spared – including the Sheriff’s SWAT team – responded and began to search the woods, except for James and a few closest to him. Jeremy Small was another K9 officer. Even though he hadn’t lost a dog like that, he had an idea of what James was going through. The two lawmen picked up the bleeding, confused dog and took him to a waiting ambulance. He was whisked away to the Navy Boulevard Animal Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.
A meticulous and careful search was conducted through the swamp. It was not fast. In fact, it took two hours. Finally, as Griggs’ hiding places were running out, he slipped out of the woods, crawled under one sheriff’s cruiser and into another one to hide. But that didn’t fool Captain LaRon Summerlin, a favorite among the troops. Captain Summerlin yelled that the occupant in the cruiser was not a deputy but was the suspect.
Now, get the picture. Here is a suspect who has just killed a police K9 (a member of the family), stolen a car, broken into innocent folks’ houses, stolen guns and was now armed, sitting in a Sheriff’s Deputy’s car, possibly armed. Now picture an army of armed lawmen and SWAT team members approaching him, guns drawn.
Two questions come to mind. The first one is: Were they angry? Angry enough to kill? Probably. Second question: Was Griggs afraid? Well…YES! Or he should have been. Sgt. Steve Bates, a giant of a man who wasn’t comfortable with patience, was the first to approach him. Steve’s sidearm was pointed at the suspect’s head. He ordered Griggs out of the car. Easy request.
Nope. He refused. Was it because he was too frightened? Maybe he thought about running. Maybe he was planning a shootout. Reminds me of the last scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Understand, here is a selfish suspect who had shot a police dog, shot in the direction of a deputy sheriff, and had a gun. If he still had the gun, would he try to use it? That question was on the mind of every lawman who had his or her gun leveled at Griggs at that moment.
After the door was opened and Griggs was dragged out, he was handcuffed and taken to the Sheriff’s Department – still alive and unhurt. He was charged with nine charges, including Grand Theft Auto, Burglary of a Law Enforcement Cruiser, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony, Injuring a Police Dog, Cruelty to Animals, Resisting Arrest with Violence, Fleeing and Attempting to Elude, and Driving with a Revoked License. I imagine he wondered if taking the Mustang was worth it.
Meanwhile, the toughness in Wolf showed through once again. He survived surgery and was getting better. Three veterinarians and a host of deputies spent the night on vigil. Several citizens brought in their dogs to give blood. It looked good. James could relax…or could he? Before daylight, Wolf went into shock and died.
Several things happened the next morning. The entire community seemed to go into mourning. Words of sympathy inundated the Sheriff’s Office, which flew its flag at half-staff. James O’Hara was put on leave – partly due to shooting at the suspect, but moreso for losing his partner. Griggs “Injuring a Police Dog” charge was upgraded to “Killing a Police Dog.”
Wednesday, March 4, 1998:
After a chilly Florida night – in which the O’Hara children didn’t have Wolf to keep them warm – the day promised to be sunny and mild[3]. At the Escambia County Florida Sheriff’s Office, deputies were wrapping the star-shields on their breasts with a black band. The Honor Guard was making final preparations. A sharp-looking unit they were, too. They had rifles, dress belts, gloves, shoes and the handsome green campaign hats, better known as the “Sgt. Carter” hats. They were ready.
As James pulled the family and car into the cemetery, he was astonished at his reception. 150 police officers – many of them K9 handlers with their dogs, were there. Emergency cars filled the cemetery and lined the streets outside. The Honor Guard, the Rifle Corps, the funeral officials and many citizens were on hand. If James had ever wondered if others knew that losing his K9 partner was painful, he wondered no more!
There were flowers galore! Every color and spread available was displayed around the grave. In the center stood a large Sheriff’s star, made entirely of flowers. It was fitting.
The ceremony was short. With Sheriff Jim Lowman offering his condolences, several people made meaningful comments. One such comment was made by a member of the Hero Dog Program, Estell Lorenz. “We deplore – and we are so saddened by – the senseless violence that ended much too soon the life of a brave and courageous dog[4],” she said. That seemed to sum it up.
After the speaking, a 21-gun rifle salute was fired, and TAPS was played. Wolf was laid to rest amid a great ceremony. But he still wasn’t coming back.
As the O’Hara’s looked around, they were astonished to see the enormous impact that their family member had on the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the larger law enforcement community, and the entire county. But did they understand that the O’Haras were close – really close. They were hurting. Yes, Wolf was a vital part of fighting crime in this county…and he was good at it. But he was a family member to the O’Haras. Theresa said, “He was our dog, too. He played so well with the children. He loved that green ball.” She pointed to the green ball, which was now in the grave alongside its owner.
After hundreds of condolences and words of comfort, the cemetery gradually began thinning out. The cemetery, known as Pet Haven Cemetery, was situated in the back of Rest Haven Gardens Cemetery. It was a beautiful location, set in amongst beautiful, large oak trees. Wolf would have liked it.
Incidentally, Wolf now lies 487 yards from the house that James grew up in. It was his stomping ground. Wolf was home.
However, it also lay about the same distance (in the other location) from the site where Wolf was murdered. Bittersweet.
As he was leaving, James looked at the grave of the most loyal partner he would ever have. Soon, the headstone would read simply, “Wolf, Killed in the Line of Duty.”
[1] Pensacola News Journal https://www.newspapers.com/image/268568838/?terms=%22O%27hara%22&match=1
[2] Pensacola News Journal https://www.newspapers.com/image/268570027/?terms=%22O%27hara%22&match=1
[3] Pensacola News Journal https://www.newspapers.com/image/268676483/?terms=wolf&match=1
[4] Tribute paid to fallen K9 Hero. Pensacola News Journal. https://www.newspapers.com/image/268676483/?terms=%22James%20O%27hara%22%20wolf&match=1 Acquired 12/16/2022