Dax, veteran Lake County, Illinois, police dog, injured during arrest
LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (CBS) – A high-profile police canine is recovering after being injured during an arrest, and his future with the Lake County Sheriff's Office is now uncertain.
K9 Dax's accomplishments have been well documented. He's tracked hundreds of missing people and wanted suspects.
Late Monday night, Lake County sheriff's deputies said they were asked to bring in a canine after a felony suspect ran from a stolen car crashed near the Wisconsin state line. Dax, a veteran K9, was injured while making an arrest.
It wasn't the first time he's been hurt on the job, but this injury puts his position in jeopardy.
Just before midnight, there were tense moments in total darkness. The suspect was hiding in the woods after a police pursuit.
"If the dog finds you, he will bite you," police told the suspect.
"This is a very violent crime that was in progress," said Lake County Deputy Sheriff Christopher Covelli. "You have an individual that is in a stolen vehicle, an individual that rammed a police car, and an individual that fled on foot."
CBS 2 has shown how Dax and his handler, John Forlenza, have worked together on hundreds of cases in the past, including a robbery in which a suspect punched Dax. But this latest injury put that professional partnership in jeopardy.
"My philosophy with Dax is we always work as a team," said Forlenza when CBS 2 spoke to him last year. "I do not have him track 30 feet away from me. We are side by side. I'm there to protect him, just like he's there to protect me."
Covelli said Dax is "the best of the best. He and Deputy Forlenza are an amazing team. They have had tremendous success. They have tracked hundreds of missing and endangered people, saved dozens of lives, located numerous feeling felons."
Dax is one of the department's 10 canines. He was injured just minutes before his tenth birthday. He's unable to put weight on his hind legs. The department is waiting to see what medical next steps they need to take.
"At this point, we're not 100% certain on his prognosis," Covelli said. "There is some swelling in his spine that needs to go down before proper MRIs, x-rays can be taken."
Dax was under veterinary care with his handler.
Police said the suspect in the case, a 16-year-old from Zion, has charges pending against him in Wisconsin and Illinois.