Funeral set for Kane County police dog Hudson

The Kane County Sheriff K-9 police dog Hudson will be laid to rest with full police honor in a public funeral Thursday, June 1 at Kaneland Harter Middle School in Sugar Grove.

According to a news release from Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain, the service will begin at 11 a.m. for a public walkthrough. The police K-9 walkthrough will begin at 11:30 a.m., immediately followed by a police walkthrough. The funeral service will begin at the conclusion of the walkthrough.

Hudson was killed May 24 after a shootout between sheriff’s deputies and a carjacking suspect that ended in the intersection of Randall Road and Fabyan Parkway in Batavia. The suspect, identified as James Moriarty, 38, of Aurora, was also killed.

Hudson, a Dutch Shepherd, was born Aug. 21, 2018 and was sworn into police duty Oct. 16, 2020. Hudson was used for over 100 tracks of criminal offenders and missing people in his career. He was also responsible for the apprehension of several violent offenders while protecting not only his handler, Det. Luke Weston, but other deputies and members of the public. As part of his many jobs, Hudson helped locate many articles evidence for ongoing investigations, the release stated.

Hudson served the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, as well as several federal law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the detection and seizures of over 100 kilograms of illegal drugs. Hudson also assisted with the seizures of over $5 million in U.S. currency that was determined to be proceeds from illegal activities, the release stated.

“Perhaps most notably, we are unable to determine how many times Hudson’s mere presence prevented violent encounters between criminals and members of law enforcement. He served with honor, pride and unwavering bravery and he will surely be missed,” Hain stated in the release.