East Palestine Police welcome newest K9 to the force

Published on December 29, 2025

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (WKBN) – The East Palestine Police Department is welcoming a new member — K9 Fran Chevy.

The two-year-old was born in North Carolina and spent the past several months in intensive training.

He is now officially certified in narcotics detection, article searches and tracking.

When off-duty, Fran loves nothing more than spending time with his handler, Officer Cierra Coontz.