By Brian Butler
The story of what happened to Polk County Sheriff’s Office K9 Ace began long before the first shot was fired.
In 2024, 27-year-old Angel Bowers was charged with unlawful sexual activity involving a 16-year-old. He was released on a $35,000 bond while the case proceeded.
On Monday, August 3, 2026, Bowers failed to appear for a scheduled plea hearing. His bond was revoked, and a felony warrant was issued for his arrest. According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Bowers had reportedly said that he was not going back to jail and had established a makeshift camp deep in the woods off Rushing Road near Kathleen, Florida.
On Thursday, August 6, a bondsman searching for Bowers located his bicycle near the wooded camp and contacted the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for assistance.
At approximately 6:15 p.m., deputies established a perimeter and entered the woods. Among them were Deputy Natalie Oestreich and her partner, K9 Ace—a seven-year-old German Shepherd who had faithfully served Polk County since March 2020.
As the team approached the tent, Bowers announced that he had a gun and began firing. Authorities said he discharged at least four rounds at Ace and the deputies.
One of those bullets struck Ace in the left-center portion of his chest and exited near his left shoulder. The round shattered his front-left leg and caused devastating damage to his brachial artery, resulting in massive blood loss.
The deputies returned fire, and thankfully, none of them were injured.
Sheriff Judd has credited Ace with saving the lives of the three deputies who entered those woods. Ace was at the front of the team when the attack began. He took the gunfire that could have struck his handler or either of the other deputies.
Ace did exactly what he had been trained to do—and he nearly gave his life doing it.
Deputy Oestreich immediately rushed her critically wounded partner to Parkway Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Lakeland. The veterinary team stopped the bleeding, stabilized him, and began replacing the blood he had lost.
Once Ace was stable enough to travel, Tampa General Hospital’s Aeromed crew transported him by helicopter to the Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch for advanced treatment. He received at least two units of blood during the effort to save his life.
That extraordinary chain of care—from the deputies who carried him out of the woods, to the emergency veterinary team, the Aeromed flight crew and the specialists waiting in Lakewood Ranch—gave Ace a fighting chance.
Deputy Oestreich remained by her partner’s side throughout the ordeal.
Meanwhile, law enforcement continued surrounding the wooded camp and repeatedly ordered Bowers to surrender. He was later found dead inside the tent with a handgun. The officer-involved shooting remains under investigation by the 10th Judicial Circuit Officer-Involved Deadly Incident Task Force.
On Friday, August 7, Ace underwent surgery. The operation was successful, and he is now listed in stable condition.
Unfortunately, the damage to his front-left leg was too severe to repair. Surgeons had no choice but to amputate it.
This was not the outcome anyone wanted—but Ace is alive.
Because of his injuries, Ace’s six-year law-enforcement career will come to an end. He will retire from active service and continue living with Deputy Oestreich as part of her family, where he belongs.
The Wiltse Family Trust has reportedly offered to cover Ace’s medical treatment at Lakewood Ranch and purchase a replacement K9 for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Support has also poured in from across the community and the working-dog world.
Ace lost a leg, but he did not lose his courage, his partner, his family or the gratitude of an entire community.
His time patrolling Polk County may be ending, but his story is not. He now begins a new mission: recovering, adapting and enjoying the retirement he earned through years of faithful service.
Please keep K9 Ace, Deputy Natalie Oestreich, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit and everyone involved in saving his life in your thoughts and prayers.
Rest. Heal. Recover.
You have earned it, Ace. 
Information current as of Friday evening, August 7, 2026.