Online voting for naming Benton County's first K-9 is over, and Ben is the choice.
The name was submitted by Kayla Kahl, a fifth-grader at Sacred Heart School in Sauk Rapids. Ben outpolled five other finalists -- Copper, Chase, Cody, Max and Sarge.
Ben, a nine-month-old shepherd mix, arrived from Europe on Monday and is now headed down to St. Paul for training, said County Sheriff Brad Bennett.
The $7,500 cost of acquiring Ben was shared by individuals, businesses and community groups.
The county turned to fifth-graders in the area to build a list of names. After receiving 152 entries, the six finalists were then put up for a vote on the county's website.
The vote was not without its own election irregularity. Bennett said that a deputy expressed his preference for a name on a separate website. The votes for that name rose afterward, the St. Cloud Times reported today.
PAUL WALSH
