“Hey, come out,” shouted Newtown Police Officer Felicia Figol.

“I would rather not,” answered Officer Matthew Hayes from a hiding spot behind shrubs on a landscaped lawn next to the police station Saturday, August 8.

“What’s behind your back?” Officer Figol asked.

“Nothing; I have a right to be here,” he said. “Don’t harass the public.”

“Is that a knife?” she asked. She then told the “suspect” that she would unleash her dog. Moments later Newtown’s canine Saint Michael charged and leapt to bite at a protective sleeve Officer Hayes had on his forearm. Prior to the demonstration of Newtown’s police dog in action, Officer Figol had told a small group that if someone is acting suspiciously, she had to figure out what was going on with that person.

Among those gathered was Chris Sferruzzo, who organized the 2015 Newtown Car Show and Kindness Dream Ride, which had taken place Father’s Day weekend at Sand Hill Plaza. Most of the funds raised during the June event benefited FAITH Food Pantry, but a $1,000 donation had also been set aside for the Newtown Police Department canine unit.

With Mr Sferruzzo on Saturday were car show committee members, and Isabel Destival, president of The MOMS (Moms Offering Moms Support) Club of Newtown. She and her club had helped organize the car show, solicit donations, manage volunteers, coordinate raffles, and more. The police department also “helped us out,” during the show, which included a brief ride through town of exotic cars, said Mr Sferruzzo.

Before “apprehending” Officer Hayes, St Michael had been sitting quietly at the end of his leash at Officer Hayes’s feet, as the group stood for a photograph and check presentation. Officer Figol knelt beside the dog and displayed an engraved plaque noting the appreciation for her “dedicated efforts and support of the 2015 Newtown Car Show.” Funds will go toward St Michael’s food and veterinary care.

The Newtown Car Show and Kindness Dream Ride raised more than $43,000 in both funds and food supplies.

The MOMS Club of Newtown is “always looking for local groups that we can help and support with fundraising,” Ms Destival said in a recent email. She had contacted Mr  Sferruzzo and the two were able to share their goal to “help the needy in our community and surrounding areas too,” she wrote.

The car show raised enough money to donate food not only to FAITH Food Pantry in Sandy Hook, but also to the food pantry at Newtown Social Services, as well as pantries in Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Monroe, and Seymour.

The MOMS Club of Newtown also worked with the Newtown Car Show volunteers to help distribute donations.

The committee is already working on next year’s event.

“We expect it to grow and become even more successful. I am very humbled to be part of such a wonderful group of genuinely kind people!” Ms Destival said.

Committee members at the canine demonstration Saturday were Timothy Lalli, Tyler Hough, Chris Sferruzzo, Steve Bowers, Steve Grosso, Isabel Destival, and Steve Klucik.