Fr. County Sheriff’s Deputy K-9 Max Laid to Rest Friday

Franklin County Sheriff Steve Thomas has announced the passing of one of their own.

K-9 Officer Max passed away on October 5 at the age of 12.

Thomas said he intended to announce Max’s retirement this month when he suddenly became ill.

The Sheriff said Deputy Max was trained as a Drug Detection Dog but also served as a tracker and on patrol.

He said Max and his handler Deputy Drew McAdams were partners and over the years made many arrests.

In one of those arrests, Max assisted GBI agents with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office in 2020 with a three-month drug trafficking investigation that led to the arrest of two Maysville men in Jackson County.

Wearing his bullet-proof vest, Officer Max sniffed out a kilo of meth at the suspect’s house, which was hidden in a skid steer.

Hillsman said the street value of the Methamphetamine was approximately $50,000.00.

Additionally, a quarter pound of marijuana and a firearm were recovered during that search with Max’s help.

Thanks to Max, arrested were a father and son identified as 64-year-old Lewis Junior Hall and 46-year-old Christopher Lewis Hall.

Sheriff Thomas said Max had served as Franklin County K-9 officer since 2016 succeeding K-9 Officer Jax who died in January 2015.

Max was purchased by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office from Custom K-9’s in Jefferson which specializes in raising and training dogs for careers in Law Enforcement.

On Friday afternoon, Officer Max received a law enforcement escort from the Franklin County Coroner’s office in Lavonia to a burial ground in Bold Springs where he was laid to rest alongside K-9 Officer Jax.