McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Canine Kelt retired Thursday following almost three years of service with the sheriff’s office where he assisted on over 800 calls.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said that most police dogs can serve the majority of their life span in their position.
Canine Kelt retired early because his handler, Sgt. Jeremy Bruketta, recently transferred into a different division that did not require a canine, the sheriff’s office said.
Kelt and Bruketta together have found tens of thousands of grams of illegal drugs, seized over $150,000 in cash seizures, completed 5,200 hours of training and assisted agencies over 860 times.
Kelt will now become a stay-at-home dog, acting as “real life Paw Patrol” for Bruketta and his family, the sheriff’s office said.
Kelt, who was named after fallen Deputy Jacob Keltner, was a “great addition to our K9 team,” the sheriff’s office said, thanking the pair for their dedication.
Keltner was a McHenry County sheriff’s deputy and a special deputy for the U.S. Marshal Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force.
The task force on March 7, 2019, was attempting to serve an arrest warrant on Floyd E. Brown, of Springfield, who was staying at the Extended Stay America Hotel in Rockford.
When police knocked on the hotel room door where Brown was staying, he opened fire on the officers with a high-powered rifle.
Keltner, along with Brown’s girlfriend, who was in the hotel room with him, both sustained gunshot wounds.
Keltner was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The woman sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Brown fled the scene in a vehicle after jumping out his hotel room window.
Illinois State Police and other police agencies chased Brown on Interstate 55 at speeds of over 100 mph until he came to a stop near Lincoln, Illinois after he ran over spike strips.
Brown was charged with numerous federal charges, including killing a federal law enforcement officer.
Keltner had almost 13 years of service with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and left behind his wife and two young children.