A German Shephard in Lake County had a very busy day earlier this week when he apprehended 9 people in a 24-hour period, according to a press release from the Lake County Sheriff's office.
Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, Dax and his partner, Lake County Deputy John Forlenza responded to the scene of a crash in the area of Wadsworth Rd. and Delany Rd. involving a stolen vehicle from a neighboring community, police say.
According to officials, three suspects fled the scene, and that's when Canine Dax's search began.
After tracking for just over a mile, Dax located the three minor suspects, who then ran when they heard the dog. The three suspects then ran onto the roadway where another sheriff’s deputy was waiting to take them into custody, the release states.
Around midnight Wednesday, Illinois State Police requested assistance with a stolen vehicle that crashed in the area of Lake Cook Road and I-94, in unincorporated Deerfield, officials say. Multiple occupants fled from the vehicle when it crashed.
Canine Dax and Deputy Forlenza again responded to the scene to conduct a track. According to the release, Dax tracked northwest into a heavily wooded area where he located three minor suspects hiding. They were subsequently taken into custody, police say.
Dax then continued tracking along the shoreline of the Des Plaines River where he located three more minor suspects hiding, the release states. The suspects were then turned over to the Illinois State Police, according to officials.
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“Our Lake County Sheriff’s Office Canine Teams are a significant necessity in keeping our community safe," Sheriff John D. Idleburg said in the release.
Dax, Diesel and Duke all joined the Lake County Sherriff's Office in January of 2015, according to a post on the Sherriff's office website.
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"The German Shepard breed was selected due to intelligence and overall adaptability to the extreme cold and heat experienced in the Midwest," the post reads.
"German Shephards have the characteristics needed to perform many K-9 law enforcement tasks including tracking, contraband detection and article and cadaver searches."
According to the post, in March 2016, all three canines received bullet and stab protective vests.
