A Lake County sheriff’s canine bit a suspect who was fleeing from deputies after allegedly burglarizing a tavern near Grayslake Friday morning.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 3:45 a.m. Friday to a bar in the 34000 block of Route 45 in unincorporated Grayslake for a burglar alarm.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and found the tavern secure without signs of a burglary, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
The keyholder of the establishment was not able to respond so deputies were unable to search the inside of the building at the time.
The keyholder called to report a burglary around 7 a.m. later in the morning.
Sheriff’s deputies responded and reviewed video surveillance where they saw a man unlawfully enter the bar and steal items.
The man was wearing “very distinctive” clothing, Covelli said.
Deputies located footprints in the snow, which they followed to an apartment building nearby.
Deputies knocked on the door of a person who lives at the complex, Brendan M. Wilcox, 37, of Grayslake, who had an active arrest warrant for burglary. Wilcox fled out of a rear window.
Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Dwight Arrowood and Canine Duke arrived at the scene and conducted an immediate track.
They tracked for over a mile over the span of an hour.
Duke tracked to a wooded area where Wilcox was hiding and Wilcox refused to surrender or follow instructions.
Duke was deployed to assist in the apprehension and the canine bit Wilcox, which led him to surrender.
Deputies recovered the distinctive clothing worn by Wilcox during the burglary at his apartment.
Wilcox was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital for the dog bite.
He was treated and released back into the custody of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges of burglary, theft and resisting or obstructing a peace officer.
“I am incredibly proud of our sheriff’s deputies and K9 teams for their relentless dedication to keeping our community safe. This incident is yet another testament to their hard work,” Sheriff John D. Idleburg said.
“From our telecommunicators who monitored K9 Duke and Deputy Arrowood while guiding other deputies, to those who responded and gathered critical evidence, to our K9 team who ultimately made the apprehension—everyone played a crucial role and did a tremendous job – all while working in frigid temperatures!” Idleburg said.
Wilcox has since been released from the Lake County Jail after a First Appearance Court hearing on Saturday.