Cottrellville Township officials and the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office will recognize 5-year-old Hudson Tenn after he sought help when his grandmother, Terri, collapsed at home this past summer. Hudson took his 3-year-old sister, Harper, with him as he went down a gravel road looking for someone who could help.
A Child's Quick Thinking on a Rural Road
According to ClickOnDetroit, Terri became unconscious after falling. Neighbors Jason Markel and his son Colton stopped when they saw Hudson and Harper on the road. The Markels helped the children and went with Hudson to his grandmother's home.
The Markels called 911 immediately after encountering the children; Jason Markel later reached the house and saw Terri lying unconscious on the floor. Cottrellville Township, along the St. Clair River corridor, has a total area of 22.4 square miles, including 21.2 square miles of land and 1.2 square miles of water, and had roughly 3,406 residents, according to the Cottrellville Township profile.
Deputies Confront an Aggressive Dog Inside the Home
St. Clair County Sheriff's deputies entered the house after Jason saw Terri unconscious, finding a dog crouched over her. Deputies used a bean bag round against the animal and moved it into another room so emergency crews could reach Terri. The Congressional Research Service report discusses less-than-lethal weapons generally and notes that definitions vary. It is not the first time county deputies have confronted a protective dog while responding to an emergency call; in December 2025, deputies responded to a similarly aggressive, territorial dog in Port Huron, underscoring the hazards law enforcement regularly faces when entering private homes with pets present.
EMS treated Terri at the scene before she was taken to a hospital. Doctors told her she was dehydrated, and Terri said she had never experienced dehydration or anything like it before. Older adults may be more vulnerable to dehydration because they have less water in their bodies and may feel less thirst, according to the Mayo Clinic.
County Officials Honor Hudson's Bravery
ClickOnDetroit reported that Cottrellville Township officials and the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office will present Hudson with an award for bravery on Wednesday.
Terri thanked those who stopped to help her family and the sheriff's office, and called Hudson her hero.
St. Clair County Central Dispatch is a separate department within county government, with 20 full-time dispatchers. Hudson and Harper live with their family in Cottrellville Township near Marine City, an area served by the East China School District, which enrolls roughly 3,400 students across nine schools in Marine City, St. Clair, and surrounding townships. Hoodline previously covered a hoax call in Marine City that drew a heavy St. Clair County law enforcement response earlier this year.
What the County Says About Central Dispatch
St. Clair County Central Dispatch describes itself as a separate department within county government and lists 20 full-time dispatchers, according to St. Clair County Central Dispatch. That public information provides the department's structure and staffing; it does not give an emergency-call volume.
