Dave Bernstein Being Jailed to Raise Money for K-9 Kait

News Radio 560 KPQ’s Dave Bernstein is going to jail…but it’s for a good cause.

Bernstein will be ceremonially incarcerated at Numerica Credit Union’s Wenatchee branch (812 N Wenatchee Ave.) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on October 29 to help raise money for the Chelan County Regional Justice Center’s narcotics detection program.

One of the program’s critical components is K-9 Kait, the jail’s drug-detection dog.

Kait’s handler, Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jacob Lewis, says the seven-year-old Border Collie was destined to use her keen nose to the benefit of law enforcement.

“She originated from a rescue operation out of Quincy. She was being trained for farm work but she was found to be very skittish around larger animals like sheep and cows. So she ended up at the training facility for narcotics detection and she excelled at that tremendously. So this really was her calling.”

Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Jeremy Riggan, who has worked at the justice center for over two decades, says Kait has made a major impact at the jail.

“It’s been like night and day in my 23 years there. The place was a sieve for drugs coming in and out, but once we instituted the three-pronged attack – including the body scanner and the mail scanner and finally the dog – it was a total game-changer. She’s been a godsend for the jail in my opinion.”

Bernstein is hoping to raise $10,000 in “bail money” to assist the program.

The sheriff’s office is also hosting a “Dinner With Kait” meet-and-greet event at Jimmy John’s in Wenatchee this Friday and has already launched a t-shirt fundraiser through Custom Ink as well.

If you'd like to make a donation, a link with more information is available at the KPQ Facebook page.