Oakdale Police K-9 Officer Cruze had an active afternoon on Friday, Oct. 14 regarding two separate incidents. The result: two men in custody, both facing felony charges.

The first incident happened around 1:25 p.m. when Officer Matthew Gardette responded to the area of Cost Less Foods regarding a domestic violence situation with reports of a male physically abusing a female.

When Officer Gardette arrived with additional police units responding, he observed a male, later identified as Luis Enrique Vasquez, 33, of Oakdale, pushing and hitting a woman. Gardette ordered the man to stop and the man fled towards the Stanislaus River area that borders the shopping center.

Officers gave chase and set up a perimeter north and south of the river. Officer Blake Ebbert also responded to the scene and searched the area with his police canine Cruze.

At about 3:36 p.m., K9 Officer Cruze located and apprehended Vasquez who was hiding in heavy foliage near the river’s edge.

Vasquez was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail for felony spousal abuse along with a felony probation violation and resisting arrest.

After the Cost Less incident, Officer Ebbert and K9 Cruze were sent to a possible residential burglary in progress in the 900 block of Old Stockton Road. After Officer Ebbert contacted the homeowner, he directed Cruze to perform a search of the residence. Minutes later Cruze found and apprehended a subject hiding under a bed in one of the bedrooms of the home.

The man was identified as Earl Lee Linam, Jr., 50, of Modesto and he was arrested for burglary, stalking, violation of a restraining order, and committing a felony while out on bail. Linam Jr. was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail.

Cruz, a Shepherd-Belgium Malinois mix, was made available to the police department through a $15,800 donation by Steves Chevrolet in 2014. He is one of two canine officers that serve the Oakdale Police Department.