SILVERHILL — The Silverhill Police Department was able to track two fugitives recently who each fled the scene of an accident with injuries, thanks to the help of K-9 officer Meg and her partner Heath Mosley.

The first incident occured on Feb. 2 when a 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada turned in front of a motorcycle traveling south on County Road 55. The motorcycle, driven by Steve Sutton of Bon Secour, was unable to stop, impacting with the vehicle.

Sutton was LifeFlighted to the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile and had to undergo surgery on his right leg. It will be several weeks before Sutton and his family know whether the surgery to repair the damage was successful.

Mosely and Meg, a registered Blood Hound, were called in and were able to use scent to track the suspect to a nearby residence.

“Apparently the suspect knew the former residents, and did not realize that they had moved,” said Silverhill Police Chief Kim Wasdin. “The current resident was able to pick the suspect out of a photo lineup and give us a first name.”

Police were able to track the suspect from there and make an arrest. Officer Steven “Buck” Rogers was the first officer on the scene making the arrest, Wasdin said.

Timothy Wayne Krumm, 50, of Foley, was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident with injuries. Krumm, who was on probation on a previous drug charge, also had his probation revoked, Wasdin said. He also initially tried to have the vehicle reported stolen. Police have since discredited that report and added filing false report charges to Krumm’s list of felony charges.

The second incident happened on Valentine’s Day, Thursday, Feb. 14.

A red Mitsubishi Eclipse, driven by Patrick Matthew Freeman, 24, of Robertsdale rear-ended a 2004 Toyota Seneca van on Highway 104 at Hill-And-Dale Drive.

The passenger of the Eclipse sustained head injuries as a result of the accident and was treated and released from South Baldwin Regional Medical Center.

According to Silverhill officer Jimmy Clemmons, the driver pulled the passenger from the vehicle, retrieved a black case from the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.

“Once we got Heath and Meg on the scene, I knew it was just a matter of time before we would find him,” Clemmons said.

Mosley and Meg were able to track the suspect to a swampy area a short distance from the scene. A black case matching the description of the one taken from the vehicle was found nearby.

Inside the case, police found drugs and paraphernalia, including over 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana, ecstasy and methamphatamine.

“I’d say the street value of the drugs is easily $1,200 to $1,500,” Wasdin said.

Freeman was charged with three felony counts, including leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, felony possession of marijuana, and felony possession of controlled substances.

“Officer Mosley and Meg have become valuable tools for this department,” Wasdin said. “We want to send a message to people that you can’t come into our town, leave the scene of an accident and expect not to get caught. We are working diligently to protect the citizens of Silverhill and anyone who might be driving through.”

In addition to the two felony incidents of leaving the scene of an accident, there have been two other incidents in the past month of drivers leaving the scene of an accident.

In one incident, Clemmons was able to track the vehicle within 12 hours of the incident and issue citations for the misdemeanor offense.

The other incident involved property damage, Wasdin said, which was settled out of court.