Sheriff K-9 Ranger, back to work after cancer treatment, tracks down bank robbery suspect

By Madeline Bartos

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    CARNEGIE, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Less than two weeks after Allegheny County Sheriff K-9 Ranger returned to work after receiving treatment for cancer, he helped track down a bank robbery suspect in Carnegie.

K-9 Ranger hasn’t been back to work long, but he’s already got his nose to the grindstone, using his super snout to sniff out a man accused of holding up a bank Thursday.

The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office gave a shoutout to K-9 Ranger on social media on Friday after they said he helped law enforcement arrest 37-year-old Marcus Sibeto.

Allegheny County police said Sibeto, wearing a surgical mask and gloves, walked into the Citizens Bank on West Main Street around 1:30 p.m. Thursday and demanded money from a teller.

Police said another teller “interceded” and recovered part of the stolen money. That teller chased Sibeto out of the bank and into the street, recovering more money while fighting with Sibeto in someone’s backyard, police said. Sibeto was able to get away before police arrived.

During the fight, the sheriff’s office said Sibeto lost his hat, which allowed Ranger to get the suspect’s scent. The sheriff’s office said Ranger led his handler, Deputy Jeff Belback, down Fifth Avenue, through two homes, onto Logan Street and through a gate into an area with several buildings and garages.

There deputies said they found Sibeto in an overgrown area off Logan Street. The sheriff’s office said Sibeto ignored a command to come out and tried to run, but he was tased by police and arrested.

When K-9 Ranger returned to work last Monday after getting treatment for oral melanoma, the sheriff’s office called him an invaluable asset. Ranger will still need shots for the rest of his life, but last week, his boss, Sheriff Kevin Kraus, said that whatever it takes, Ranger is worth it.

“What this dog has done for this office is astounding,” Kraus said.

Sibeto meanwhile has been charged with robbery, theft, simple assault, resisting arrest and terroristic threats.

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