Crime & Safety
Fallen Officer Noah Leotta Has Namesake in K9 Cop
Montgomery County Police Officer Noah Leotta, who died when he was hit by a drunk driver, has a namesake in a K9 officer.
ROCKVILLE, MD — Three new members of the Montgomery County Police Department have begun patrols, and one is named in honor of slain Officer Noah Leotta. The three new academy graduates are all police dogs: K9 Arco, K9 Gabby, and K9 Noah. K9 Noah is named in memory of Leotta.
The Montgomery County Police officer died in December 2015 after he was struck on Rockville Pike by a repeat drunk driver's car. Officer Leotta, 24, was hit Dec. 3, 2015; he was working as part of an annual holiday task force fighting drunk driving at the time of the fatal accident. Prosecutors say the driver struck Leotta after a night that included heavy drinking at the Hooters restaurant in Rockville, which has since closed.
The three K9s graduated from the Department’s K9 Basic Patrol School on Friday, January 6. This class was comprised of nine K9 teams (dog and police officer handler) representing the Montgomery County Police Department, the Alexandria City (Virginia) Police Department, the Gaithersburg Police Department, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, the Laurel City Police Department, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
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The K9s and their partners, under the direction of Sergeant Mary Davis of the Montgomery County Police Department and Corporal Jeremiah Kretsinger of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, successfully completed 16 weeks of training. This training included the skills of article searching, tracking, agility, apprehension, and obedience.
Officer Cecil Williams II and K9 Arco
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Sergeant Chris Fumagalli and K9 Gabby
Officer Sean Pierce and K9 Noah
Officer Sean Pierce and K9 Noah, Officer Noah Leotta’s parents (Rich Leotta and Marcia Goldman)
Officer Noah Leotta’s parents (Rich Leotta and Marcia Goldman) and Chief Manger
Session 48 Montgomery County Police Department Basic Patrol School Graduates:
- Sergeant Chris Fumagalli and K9 Gabby
- Police Officer Sean Pierce and K9 Noah
- Police Officer Cecil Williams II and K9 Arco
Photos courtesy of Montgomery County Police
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