Sheriffs Foundation donates unused K9 Arlo funds to another non-profit
After some confusion about what to do with funds raised to help K9 Arlo, the Thurston County Deputy Sheriffs Foundation has donated their remaining balance to another non-profit that is already helping the dog.
Lt. Carla Carter told the Olympian she donated $57,678.44 to Project K9 Hero, a non-profit that helps cover medical costs for retired K9s, on Monday — a day after the Olympian published an article on the unused funds.
Project K9 Hero founder Jason Johnson confirmed the donation with the Olympian. He said this money will help pay for Arlo’s medical care for the rest of the dog’s life.
“We’ll use every penny we can for Arlo,” Johnson said. “If Arlo passes away in a couple years, we’ll use it on other dogs just like Arlo, police K9s that need our help.”
Carter, who runs the Deputy Sheriffs Foundation, said the funds were left unused until now because Arlo’s former handler and current owner, Tyler Turpin, indicated he wanted nothing to do with the Foundation when he left the Sheriff’s Office in late April.
She said she decided to donate the funds after Turpin responded to the Olympian’s article via Instagram post on Sunday. In his post, Turpin disputed Carter’s version of events but indicated he would like the money to be donated to Project K9 Hero.
Law enforcement accidentally shot Arlo after a high-speed chase with a suspect on Interstate 5 Jan. 13.
Following the shooting, Carter raised over $73,000 for the dog’s medical care through GoFundMe on behalf of the Deputy Sheriffs Foundation, which is a separate organization from the Sheriff’s Office.
Carter said she recently gave two checks totaling over $13,000 to the Sheriff’s Office to help pay for costs incurred while Arlo was still county property. However, that still left her with over $57,000 in unused funds.
Arlo’s former handler, Tyler Turpin, assumed responsibility for Arlo’s continued care when he purchased the dog for $1 on April 7.
On April 22, Turpin shared with his 123,000 Instagram followers that Project K9 Hero was helping him with Arlo’s medical costs. Three days later, he shared a similar message with his 2.6 million TikTok followers.
Turpin left his job as a Sheriff deputy on April 25. He later told the Chronicle he felt internal pressure to leave as the Sheriff’s Office investigated how much money he earned from his large social media followings.
On May 26, Turpin announced via Instagram he plans to challenge Sheriff John Snaza when he is up for reelection in 2022.
Turpin speaks
After publishing the article on the unused funds, Turpin told the Olympian that Carter never talked to him about what to do with the funds.
“They never came to me and asked about the money,” Turpin said. “They never put me in a position to even feel like I had a say in what we would do with the money. It was always their GoFundMe.”
Carter said she spoke with Turpin about Arlo’s continued care when he left the Sheriff’s Office and turned in his equipment. She maintains Turpin said he did not wish to engage with the Foundation.
“He indicated that Project K9 Hero were covering expenses and that he didn’t want anything to do with the Foundation… It was clear to me at the time. I’m always happy to engage with Tyler at any point and he can absolutely reach out to me.”
Turpin said he did not engage with the Foundation because the Sheriff’s Office indicated to him, he would have to pay for Arlo’s medical care once he owned the dog.
In his Sunday Instagram post, Turpin appears to conflate the Sheriff’s Office with the Foundation. He later told the Olympian he believed Carter ran the Foundation as part of her duties as a lieutenant at the Sheriff’s Office.
“I thought (the Foundation) was part of (Carter’s) duties,” Turpin said. “I guess I was just confused on that part… I didn’t know she was acting as a citizen working on that. I guess that’s my fault for not knowing that, but that’s what resembled what was happening.”
Carter reiterated to the Olympian that she started the GoFundMe in her capacity as a civilian and the Foundation she operates is separate from the Sheriff’s Office, a county government entity.
Carter added Sheriff John Snaza has no say on how the foundation is run — an assertion Snaza has also repeatedly told the Olympian.
Conflict with the Sheriff’s Office?
On Instagram and in speaking with the Olympian, Turpin has accused the Sheriff’s Office administration of circulating rumors about him and his departure.
“A lot of questions need to be answered,” Turpin wrote on Instagram on Sunday. “The Sheriff’s Office made a lot of rumors about me and our departure, made some citizens concerned about me.”
Some of his followers criticized the Sheriff’s Office in the comments section of his post, prompting Turpin to clarify that he did not want any ill will directed at Sheriff deputies.
“I don’t want any negativity on the actual Sheriff’s Office where the frontline guys are,” Turpin said. “Those guys are doing good work.”
In a Wednesday post, Turpin reiterated his support for Sheriff deputies and the K9 Unit, which is funded by the Deputy Sheriffs Foundation.
Turpin told the Olympian he felt the administration supported him in the aftermath of the Jan. 13 shooting, but he did not feel supported in the weeks prior to his departure.
When asked why he felt pressured to leave, Turpin decline to say but noted that the investigation into his social media finances was not a factor.
“I don’t want to put out all my information out there yet,” Turpin said. “I’m not ready for that.”
He said the investigation into his social media finances started after he had already decided to leave the Sheriff’s Office.
Carter and Snaza have declined to comment on the reasons for Turpin’s departure. The only person who has publicly commented on the situation so far has been Turpin when he spoke to the Chronicle and now the Olympian.
The Olympian has requested the county share any public records related to Turpin’s departure.
