The small white bilevel home didn’t look like a fortress among the brick bungalows that line Congress Street in Ford Heights, but it was protected like one.
Behind a chain-link fence on the front lawn were two signs notifying potential burglars that the property was protected by ADT.
Inside, police found a loaded 9 mm pistol.
And out back, tethered to metal stakes, were three pit bulls, one so agitated it wouldn’t stop jumping and lunging at approaching authorities.
It was not the worst the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Animal Crimes Unit investigators have seen. Not by far.
But it was enough to get the homeowner, 26-year-old Reshad Hudson, arrested and charged with two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and three counts of cruel treatment to animals.
“We work pretty closely with Ford Heights police,” investigator Larry Draus said.
They work pretty closely with all who share their mission to stamp out dogfighting and animal crime.
The Humane Society of the United States, the Animal Welfare League of Chicago Ridge, Chicago Animal Care and Control, local law enforcement, the South Suburban Humane Society in Chicago Heights. Everybody, Draus said, “has helped us down the line.”
In the four years since Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart developed the unit, investigators have busted eight dogfights in progress, and recovered nearly 20 weapons and countless amounts of narcotics. They’ve also saved the lives of countless animals.
“We’ve put a damper on this stuff,” Draus said. “But we know there’s still more out there.”
Arrest in progress
It was just after 10 a.m. Thursday when investigators prepared to serve a warrant at the Ford Heights residence. Local police had knocked at Hudson’s door a number of times in the previous weeks. Draus and his partner, T. Brown, had also come calling — to no avail.
They wanted to ask about the pit bulls Hudson kept chained in the back yard. And to talk about alleged code violations visible from the street.
For one, Hudson kept three dogs. Ford Heights only allows two per household. For another, pit bulls must be kept behind a 6-foot fence, with a gate that locks. Hudson’s property has a 3-foot fence and no gate.
Earl Bridges, Ford Heights code enforcement officer, said, “These dogs could easily jump this fence, and if a child were to walk by, well, it could be disastrous.”
Because there is such a high population of pit bulls in the village, he said, owners who walk them are required to have them muzzled, to display the dog’s tags clearly and to use a 6-foot leash. The person walking the dog also must be at least 17 years old.
Bridges frequently calls on Draus and Brown for help in investigating dogfighting or animal abuse.
“They come out whenever I call,” Bridges said. “We’ll canvass the neighborhood or set up surveillance.”
Without the unit, he said, the village would be flooded with kennels breeding pit bulls.
Bridges understands why people who live in high-crime areas want a pit bull.
“They want protection,” he said. “But if you’re going to do it, come up to ordinance.
“I’m a dog lover,” he said. “I hate to take people’s animals but sometimes we have no choice.”
This time, Draus and Brown brought a search warrant.
As they turned onto Congress Street, the officers encountered Hudson running down the street toward his home, apparently having seen the convoy of law enforcement vehicles en route. The officers explained the warrant and then went inside to canvass the house, where they found the fully loaded gun.
“No FOID card,” Draus said, carrying the pistol out. He was referring to the Firearm Owner’s Identification card required by Illinois law.
Confiscated guns must be test-fired, the bullets run through a database to see if the weapon is sought in connection with any warrants or crimes.
Next, accompanied by Cook County Animal Control Officer Jesse Young, the men entered the back yard, where the three dogs were barking at the disturbance.
In addition to the fencing and dog population violations, officers said there was no record of the dogs having received their rabies vaccines.
Draus snapped photos of the dogs. Then Young brought in the snare probe.
“We often ask the homeowner to help us get the dogs to the truck,” Young said. “They know the animals and can keep them calm. Most of the time, it goes well.”
Indeed. Draus has entered all kinds of environments, some hostile, some overrun with animals. He’s never been bitten. Brown hasn’t been so lucky.
On this day, without incident, the dogs were carted off to the Animal Welfare League and Hudson to the Markham courthouse. He has an Oct. 27 court date.
South suburban link
In 2007, responding to several high-profile dogfighting busts in the Southland, Dart developed the Animal Crimes Unit. The task force was designed to streamline communication across the county, local police departments and the state’s attorney’s office, to present a full-court press in the battle against animal cruelty.
Kevin Taylor, the offender in what was the largest seizure of fighting dogs in Illinois history at the time, is awaiting sentencing. In that case, which authorities now refer to as “The South Holland case,” 36 dogs covered in feces were found without food and water. Officers also found treadmills and methamphetamines used to get the dogs ready to fight.
Certainly, the Southland does not have a monopoly on dogfighting or animal abuse. But it has had its share of animal crimes, ranging from fights to hoarding. Draus and Brown have rescued countless dogs, cats, horses, even an alligator. Some of the animals have been rehabilitated and adopted out, some had to be put down.
In some cases, the tips came in too late and officers found only carcasses.
Bigger picture
As horrific as animal crime can be, Draus said, it typically doesn’t end with animals.
Linda Estrada, executive director of the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge, said, “Society needs to understand that when people commit crimes to animals, they also commit crimes to people.”
Where there’s animal abuse, she said, there is often domestic abuse, drug abuse or other criminal activity.
For years, she said, shelters battled abuse and neglect on their own.
“Finally, there’s someone you can call to help. The animal crimes unit is spectacular. They know all the legalities. And they stay with you through the whole process,” she said.
Emily Klehm, executive director of the South Suburban Humane Society, said, “Nowhere in the country is there an animal crimes unit like the one Cook County has.
“We are so far ahead,” she said. “Larry and T. are incredibly dedicated to what they do. Their passion for saving animals is unmatched in law enforcement.”
Draus and Brown also teach a class in animal crimes at DePaul University.
