New K-9 sniffs out suspect hiding along creek

DIXON – Lee County’s newest K-9 police dog helped sniff out and apprehend a Rock Falls man following a one-vehicle crash early Tuesday near Harmon, police said in a news release.

K-9 Henry was called into action after the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a vehicle crash at the intersection of U.S. Route 30 and Long Road, about 2.5 miles north of Harmon.

“A responding Lee County deputy observed a male walking south on Long Road away from the crash. The male fled on foot through a field and hid along the banks of Howland Creek, which runs diagonally between Harmon Road and Long Road. Patrol deputies established a perimeter and started searching for the suspect. K-9 Henry and his handler joined the search. The K-9 team tracked the suspect and located him hiding along the north bank of the creek, approximately halfway between Harmon Road and Long Road,” the sheriff’s department said in a news release.

Troy Insley, 54, of Rock Falls was taken into custody for driving while license revoked (subsequent offense) and possession of a stolen vehicle, according to the release. The incident remains under investigation.

K-9 Henry and its handler graduated on May 26 from a six-week Patrol, Utility & Narcotics Detection training course in Michigan and became certified by the International Police Work Dog Association.

This incident occurred at the beginning of K-9 Henry’s second full shift since graduation, according to the release.