Lake County police dog helps track down Round Lake man who they say fled crash site

Lake County sheriff's office police dog Boomer is being credited for helping Gurnee police sniff out a 22-year-old Round Lake man charged with fleeing the scene of a two-car crash.

Boomer found the man, identified by Gurnee police as Matthew Horvath, hiding under farm equipment Friday about a quarter-mile from the crash, according to Lake County sheriff's Sgt. Christopher Covelli.

Horvath was charged with three misdemeanors - leaving the scene of an accident, driving on a suspended license and not having vehicle insurance - Gurnee police officer Shawn Gaylor said Monday. Horvath was charged and released at the scene.

Gaylor said the crash happened at about 11:30 a.m. Friday near the intersection of Washington Street and Hunt Club Road in Gurnee. Gaylor said Horvath fled the scene on foot and Gurnee police called the sheriff's office for police dog assistance.

Covelli said Monday that Boomer and his human partner Deputy Brian Kilpatrick were nearby and responded to the call.

Horvath's record includes pleading guilty in 2017 to a misdemeanor DUI charge from Grayslake and in 2018 to an aggravated DUI from Mundelein. He was sentenced to two years of probation, 90 days in jail and 100 hours of community service on the Grayslake case. He was sentenced to 30 months of probation, eight months of periodic imprisonment and 150 hours of community service on the Mundelein case, according to court records.

"It is certainly not an easy task for K-9s and their handlers to successfully locate individuals," Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said. "Due to the continued comprehensive training of K-9 Boomer and our K-9 teams, we've had tremendous success locating fleeing offenders and missing endangered people."

Boomer's tracking ability has won him praise in the past. In 2018, the Chicago Crime Commission awarded Boomer and Kilpatrick with the Paws of Distinction Award in part for his recent wins at a police dog competition. Boomer is so named because he is trained to detect explosives.