NHCSO mourns passing of retired K-9 Ross The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office announced on Friday that retired K-9 Ross passed away earlier this week. (Source: NHCSO/Facebook) By WECT Staff | February 26, 2021 at 11:08 AM EST - Updated February 26 at 11:08 AM WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The New Hanover County Sheriffâs Office on Friday announced that retired K-9 Ross passed away earlier this week. The 12-year-old German shepherd began his career with the sheriffâs office and his handler, Lt. Croom, in 2010, working patrol for seven years. âK-9 Ross is credited with tracking and locating numerous suspects involved in criminal activity and sniffing out many narcotics finds that resulted in taking illegal drugs off the street,â a Facebook post stated.