Hazelwood Police Officer and K-9 Honored for Bravery, Drug Detection

Hazelwood police officer Mike Monticelli and his K-9 partner Onyxx get the job done. From searching for "bad guys" to locating bad drugs, some people would describe Monticelli and Onyxx as brave. If you ask Monticelli, he'd probably say he's doing his job. 

Recently, Monticelli and Onyxx were honored for doing their jobs at the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog. They were among 13, K-9 teams awarded for real-life situations. 

The pair won a suspect apprehension award for helping the the Berkeley Police Department find an armed robbery suspect that was also wanted for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest on May 8. Onyxx used the suspect's scent to locate him where he was hiding in a wooded area. When the man refused to come out after police requested, Onyxx went in and forced him out.

The pair was also awarded for drug detection. On May 25, Onyxx helped federal agents at a local You Store It facility work a case involving suspects transporting large amounts of drugs into the area. The feds believed the drugs were in the storage facility and had Onyxx sniff several of the units. Onyxx tracked the scent to one unit and when the federal agents opened the locker, they found 165 pounds of marijuana. 

Onyxx was born in Czechoslovakia on February 18, 2005. He graduated from the St. Louis City K-9 Academy on December 7, 2006, according to the City of Hazelwood. One year later, he was certified with the Missouri Police K-9 Association and later with the North American Police Work Dog Association.

The categories in which a K-9 partner can be nominated and win an award include:  

• Suspect Apprehension
• Controlled Substance Detection
• Explosive Device Detection
• Evidence Detection
• Tracking
• Protection
• Search & Rescue