JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Saturday, hundreds of people will gather at Jacksonville Pet Funeral Home to pay their respects to retired Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office K9 Gator.
K9 Gator served with JSO from 2011 - 2018.
To most people, K9 Gator will be remembered as a hero, a fearless officer who served his city and agency well. But to his handler Charlie Wilkie, K9 Gator will be remembered as a true friend.
“I worked him on the street for almost seven years and then he was my pet,” said Wilkie. “My buddy at the house for up until just a few weeks ago, so I’ve had him a long time.”
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During his 7-year run with JSO, K9 Gator played a role in some big cases. The one that stands out the most to Wilkie was Gator’s role in finding Cherish Perrywinkle, an 8-year-old from Jacksonville who was abducted from a Walmart in 2013 by Donald James Smith. The child’s body was discovered near Highlands Baptist Church. Investigators later determined she had been strangled. And they soon linked Smith to the murder.
“He was instrumental in getting that prosecution because he found her so quickly, the DNA got saved,” said Wilkie. “And so that’s one of the big things that I remember about him.”
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K9 Gator will be recognized Saturday with full military honors. It’s something that Wilkie wasn’t expecting, but he’s grateful for it.
“It’s amazing to me that it’s going to be that much,” said Wilkie. “Not to say that he didn’t earn it, he had a phenomenal career. He put a lot of people in jail, but so do other dogs. It just happens that he has a couple of really big high-profile cases."
The public is invited to attend the funeral on Saturday at 11 am.
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