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Haley Anne Shoot

Age : 19

Gender : Female

Race : White

Date : 04/08/2021

Location : Illinois 48 near East 1550 North Road

City : Taylorville

County : Christian

State : Illinois

Agency : Illinois Secretary of State Police

Officer(s) :Robert Milton Hodson

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Driver killed by off-duty police investigator in DUI crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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NARRATIVE:
On 04/08/2021 at approximately 11:04 p.m., Haley Anne Shoot, 19, of Taylorville was driving south on Illinois Route 48 near East 1550 North Road with passengers Zaydin Jon Dudra, 20, and Jade Thomas, 19. Off-duty Illinois Capitol Police investigator Robert Milton Hodson, 46, was driving a 2018 Jeep Wrangler northbound when he attempted to pass another vehicle, crossed into the southbound lane and crashed head-on into Shoot's Ford Focus.
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Shoot and Dudra were pronounced dead at the scene. Thomas survived with life-threatening, life-changing injuries. She required a wheelchair after the crash and had to relearn how to walk. Hodson suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
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Illinois State Police crash investigator Jacob Miller later testified that Hodson was traveling approximately 88 mph at impact while Shoot had braked and was traveling approximately 30–35 mph. Hodson declined a breath test at the scene. Testing after his arrest showed a blood-alcohol concentration of .353, with another test measuring .299 at approximately 1:00 a.m.
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Hodson was arrested after leaving the hospital and initially charged with aggravated DUI involving death, improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed and driving without a valid license. He was immediately taken off work without pay. He later pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI resulting in death.
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At sentencing, Haley's brother Christopher Shoot described the lasting physical and psychological damage her death caused their family. Zaydin's mother, Jessica Dudra, described her son as a protector and told the court that Hodson had shown no remorse. Jade Thomas described survivor's guilt and remembering checking Haley and Zaydin after the collision and realizing they were dead.
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On 08/21/2023, Christian County Judge Brad Paisley sentenced Hodson to 18 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, with 85% of the sentence required to be served, followed by 18 months of mandatory supervised release. Hodson subsequently challenged the judgment and sentence, and court records show that post-trial proceedings were still active in 2026.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Robert Milton Hodson was an Illinois Secretary of State Capitol Police investigator. State employment records place him in that investigator position years before the fatal crash. Following the crash, the Secretary of State's office removed Hodson from duty without pay.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://news.yahoo.com/former-capitol-police-investigator-pleads-134441663.html
https://taylorvilledailynews.com/local-news/692129
https://taylorvilledailynews.com/local-news/703227/robert-hodson-sentenced-in-two-hour-court-hearing-monday-afternoon
https://www.wandtv.com/news/former-investigator-sentenced-to-18-years-for-dui-crash-that-left-two-dead-one-injured/article_ae5a7ac8-41eb-11ee-bbd3-0bc034d60ed0.html
https://www.heartlandnewsfeed.com/2023/08/26/former-illinois-capitol-police-officer-going-to-jail/