K-9 officer stabbed with a screwdriver while chasing a suspect

A Goodhue County Sheriff's Office K-9 was stabbed Thursday evening by the suspect he was chasing.

Ambush is expected to make a full recovery, but "may be off the road for a little bit," the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post, after being stabbed with a screwdriver (or something similar) during the pursuit, Chief Deputy Kris Johnson, of the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office, told GoMN.

Ambush's human partner Deputy Matt Bowron brought the 4-year-old dog to an emergency vet, where he had surgery on a 4- to 5-inch-deep wound to his shoulder.

Goodhue County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson wrote on Facebook that Ambush will be OK, and he'll be "back in no time."

Pursuit led to the stabbing

The suspect, who has been identified as 27-year-old Shane Michael Cronin, was being pursued by the Goodhue County sheriff's office for an active felony burglary warrant, a news release from the Wabasha County Sheriff's Office says.

The car chase went into Wabasha County, reaching speeds up to 70 mph. Eventually, Cronin ditched his vehicle and ran into the woods, the release says.

That's when Ambush was released by his handler and chased Cronin and bit him. During the struggle, Ambush got stabbed and a Wasbasha County deputy was also bitten by the K-9, the release notes.

Cronin ended up running father into the woods, and deputies found him "way up in a tree with no clothes on," the release says. The temperature at the time were around 10-below zero. He was treated at a local hospital for hypothermia and a dog bite, before being taken to jail.

Cronin was charged Friday morning in Wabasha County with fleeing a police officer, harming a public safety dog, and fifth-degree controlled substance.

The deputy who was also bitten suffered puncture wounds and needed stitches, but has since been released from the hospital.