September 24, 2024
Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Mourns Beloved K9 Officer Benny After 7 Years of Service
By Kyle Coppola
Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Mourns Beloved K9 Officer Benny After 7 Years of Service
SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. — The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office bid a somber farewell to one of its most loyal officers, K9 Benny, who was laid to rest after more than seven years of dedicated service. Benny, who served alongside his partner, Deputy Connor Garrity, from February 4, 2016, until his retirement on September 16, 2023, was remembered for his loyalty, bravery, and role in assisting with numerous arrests that helped keep the community safe.
Benny and Deputy Garrity were more than just colleagues—they were partners, having trained, worked, and lived together from the start of their bond in 2016. Throughout their years together, the team was pivotal in countless operations, bringing criminals to justice and ensuring public safety across Sumter County. The Sheriff’s Office praised Benny for his exceptional service, noting the strong connection between him and Deputy Garrity.
As Sumter County mourns the loss of one of its heroes, Deputy Garrity and his colleagues continue to honor Benny’s legacy, ensuring that the community he served remains protected. Thank you for your service Benny! May he rest in peace.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
