ST. CHARLES – What started as an obvious gesture of goodwill today has actually become a back-and-forth tiff in between Kane County defense lawyer and Sheriff Ron Hain.
Defense lawyer Liam Dixon provided a look for $5,000 to Kane County Sheriff’s Detective Luke Weston on Tuesday night as a contribution to the Dallas, Texas-based Warrior Dog Foundation in honor of K-9 Hudson, who was killed May 24 in a shootout in between constable’s deputies and a supposed carjacking suspect.
About 30 defense lawyer loaded The Wine Exchange in St. Charles for their regular monthly conference, which led off with the check discussion.
Weston, who was Hudson’s handler, accepted the check and he and Sgt. Nick Wolf, the K-9 system manager, thanked the lawyers for the contribution. Dixon said the defense attorney likewise were making a contribution of a $1,200 vest to the K-9 system.
Hain later on dismissed the evident act of charity as “a promotional scam” for the defense lawyer and said it was ineffective to the county’s K-9 system.
“This group donated the other portion of funds to a random organization out of Texas that has nothing to do with the greater good here,” Hain composed in a text.
In a follow-up interview, Hain said, “It’s just a sound bite for them, a promotional event for them and nothing benefited the office or the K-9 unit.”
Dixon disagreed.
“We have a diverse group who were making a magnanimous gesture to donate to a group that helps K-9s avoid euthanasia in Hudson’s name and not a ‘promotion’ except for K-9 charities,” Dixon’s email said.
Dixon and Hain spoke recently. They have various recollections of what was said.
“He said he wanted to present a check and he wanted Luke [Weston] there,” Hain said.
Weston had family strategies and Wolf was working, however Hain said he informed both to go to the defense attorney’ conference to receive the check.
[ Photos: Funeral for Kane County Sheriff K-9 Hudson in Sugar Grove ]
Hain said his partner ran out town and he was babysitting, so he did not go to.
“I feel awful that I pulled them off task to be part of a promotional ad,” Hain said.
Then there’s the problem of the vest.
Hain said individuals might suggest well, however dog vests are so troublesome that they prevent the dogs’ capability to do their jobs.
“And even if the dog was wearing it, the science shows that trauma from a bullet impact through a vest on a dog is fatal or mostly incapacitating, at best,” Hain composed in a text.
“I already told Liam we did not need vests,” Hain said. “I was very clear about our needs on vests and based on science. There’s social media posts asking why wasn’t the dog [Hudson] wearing a vest. They [dogs] don’t perform well while wearing a vest and the trauma from being shot is still going to kill them. These are inexperienced people opining about something they know nothing about.”
In an email, Dixon composed, “At no time was I informed K-9 vests were not welcome.”
“He [Hain] gave me the name of the vest guy so I assumed vests were welcome as I had never heard of him before,” Dixon’s email said. “The vests were going for his unit.”
Dixon said he informed Hain the defense attorney were making a contribution in Hudson’s honor.
While Hain recommended the contribution be made to his workplace, “our group decided to donate both vests to him and money to a K-9 organization that provided treatment,” Dixon’s email said.
“We were only trying to honor the name of Hudson. I am disappointed it was not taken that way. I told him the vests are still available unless he thinks different equipment would be more appropriate. I am proud that our group of attorneys suggested and funded these donations so quickly,” Dixon said in his email.
“This was the first 10 minutes of our monthly meeting as a gesture to honor Hudson’s sacrifice,” Dixon’s email said. “I hope the benevolence of the group is accepted in the same spirit in which it was offered and we again offer our condolences for his loss and hope to gain the information to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.”
The Warrior Dog Foundation supplies rehab alternatives instead of euthanasia for retired police and military K-9s.
The shootout that killed Hudson ended in the crossway of Randall Road and Fabyan Parkway in Batavia. The suspect, determined as James Moriarty, 38, of Aurora, likewise was killed.
The Kane County Major Crimes Task Force is examining the cops usage of fatal force in the shooting. Anyone who saw or taped video of the occurrence is asked to call the examination pointer line at 331-385-6314.