From left Sheriff Mike Slupe, Commissioner Kevin Boozel, Deputy Sheriff Brandon Huffman, Commissioner Leslie Osche and Commissioner Kim Geyer on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, at the commissioners meeting honoring the deputy sheriff and the K-9. The deputy sheriff and the K-9 helped find an older dementia patient who wandered from home on Sept. 7. Steve Ferris/Butler Eagle

A deputy sheriff was honored Wednesday, Oct. 8, with a proclamation from the Butler County Commissioners for helping to find a lost elderly Lancaster Township man with dementia and shared the honor with his K9 partner, Justice.

Sheriff Mike Slupe read the proclamation recognizing Deputy Brandon Huffman for his assistance in finding John Vizzuto on Sept. 8, the day after he was reported missing.

The proclamation recognizes Huffman for “his acts of bravery and heroism” in assisting Lancaster Township Police Department in locating a missing elderly gentleman.

Slupe said Huffman and his K9 Justice, a German wirehaired pointer, were called to assist in the search, and Huffman found a hat on the side of a road. He said Huffman alerted the command center, which determined the hat belonged to Vizzuto and shifted the search area to where Huffman found the hat.

“That was very crucial to changing the course of the investigation,” Slupe said.

He said another responder from the search team then found Vizzuto in a field.

Huffman said Justice found a track leading north from the hat to Route 19, and a search and rescue team member found the man around 4 p.m. Sept. 8 only 3 or 4 miles from his home.

“It was team effort. We were just our doing and always available to the community when they need our help,” Huffman said.