In the small community of Bowlus, in central Minnesota, the Firemen’s Relief Association helps give back to those in need through their charitable gambling operations.
“You can’t walk the streets without people talking about it,” said Assistant Fire Chief Mike Scholz.
The official who used to oversee the department’s charitable gambling operation, Arnold G. Benusa, was recently convicted of theft, according to court records.
The case was cracked in part, by the Minnesota Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement’s K-9 Bia, the state’s only currency-detecting dog.
“I was excited, “said Special Agent Brad Rezny about the search of the suspect’s home with Bia. “It was the first time I actually could deploy and use her in a real-life case.”
Since the case led to a conviction, officials are now speaking about Bia’s work.
“She bounced up like a springboard and went right towards the back and just locked up,” said Rezny about when Bia detected money during the search.
Court records show one of the currency-filled envelopes found in the home had “FD $” written on it.
The nearly 3-year-old German Pointer was trained by the Minnesota State Patrol to find only the scent of currency.
When Bia finds money, she’ll sit down or just freeze — indications to her partner that she’s detected something for him to examine.
“She doesn’t like to give up until she finds her money,” said Rezny.
Scholz said the department is thankful for Bia’s help, so they can now help others in town with donations, including a church that had a fire.
“If the dog wouldn’t have helped us get it figured out, the church wouldn’t have gotten the $10,000 dollars,” Scholtz said.
Charging documents filed against the defendant indicated more than $260,000 was unaccounted for over an 11-year period from the charitable gambling account.
