Sgt. Scott Arner, 43, a resident of Neosho, died on January 4, 2002 at about 6:00 p.m. during an investigative dive that was mostly ice covered and 30 – 40 feet deep. Arner and others were searching the ice covered water for a body during an investigation into a possible homicide when the veteran deputy failed to come to the surface and drowned. He was pulled from the water by divers and taken to a Joplin hospital, but efforts to revive him failed. Arner was declared dead at 7:14 p.m. at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin where he was taken by medical helicopter after the accident. Arner’s police dog, Magnum, sat on the floor near the family during the service. As Arner’s coffin was carried to the hearse in front of the church, more than 30 police dogs and their handlers from departments across Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma had lined the sidewalk on each side of the entrance. Sergeant Arner was also a Police Dog Trainer for the Missouri Police Canine Association and the North American Police Work Dog Association. Sergeant Arner had been with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department in Missouri for 13 years. Sgt Arner’s trusted K-9 partner “Dunja”, was a dual purpose Belgian Malinois and she was laid to rest with Scott.
Menu
