WALTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE NEWEST K-9 “ATLAS” ASSISTS IN METH ARREST IN DEFUNIAK SPRINGS

Posted on January 16, 2026

“Close-up of a sheriff K-9 wearing a yellow Sheriff K-9’ collar, with a patrol vehicle blurred in the background.

WALTON COUNTY, FLA— Walton County Sheriff’s Offices’ newest K-9 sniffs out his first arrest early Friday morning landing one behind bars for possession of methamphetamine.

Around 9 pm on January 15th, a Walton County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Deputy stopped a red Chevrolet pick-up near Highway 331 N and Highway 90 in DeFuniak Springs for expired registration. It was also found that the driver, Roger Dwayne Dukes, 49, had a suspended license.

Mugshot of a man with messy gray hair and a beard wearing an orange jail uniform against a plain background.

During the stop, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office’s newest K-9, “Atlas”, was deployed for an exterior sniff of the vehicle and alerted to the presence of narcotics.

Two clear plastic bags containing a white powdery substance lying on a stained concrete floor near a piece of equipment

Deputies then searched the vehicle and located two small plastic bags containing a crystal-like substance, later determined to be methamphetamine, weighing 9.7 grams.

Dukes was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving with a suspended license. He received a $7,500 bond and remains incarcerated at the time of this release.

The arrest marks the first for the agency’s new sable-colored Belgian Malinois. The 15-month-old received both national and state certification in narcotics detection and criminal apprehension and hit the road on patrol in late 2025.

A sheriff’s K-9 handler stands beside a police dog in front of a Walton County Sheriff vehicle and a ‘Caution Working K-9’ sign.

K-9 Atlas was purchased by donated funds from Doctor William Burden of Destin Plastic Surgery through his family’s 501(C)3 Foundation for Drug Interdiction.