A Missouri police officer has been charged with killing his K-9 partner after he forgot the dog in the car on a 90-degree day last June, authorities said.
Savannah Police Lt. Daniel Ziegler was charged Friday with one count of animal abuse in connection with the June 20 death of his K-9 partner, Horus, a German shepherd who had been with the department for three years, according to court documents. Obtained by Fox 2,
According to court documents, Ziegler and Horus finished their overnight shift just before 5 a.m. — but it wasn’t until 6 p.m. that day that Ziegler contacted Police Chief Dave Vincent to inform him that Horus had died.
The investigation found that Horus was left inside the police car at the end of the shift and died of heat as temperatures soared to 90 degrees that day.
According to court documents, a witness told investigators they saw the deceased K-9 officer in the yard near the police vehicle while Ziegler was “panicking” and yelling in disbelief because he thought he had brought the K-9 in at the end of his shift.
According to the documents, another witness told police he helped bury Horus hours later, and during the burial he heard Ziegler admit to Vincent that Horus' death was his fault.
A few days later, functionality tests were conducted on Ziegler's police car.
When the car's interior temperature reached 90 degrees, the vehicle honked repeatedly, the rear windows were rolled down, and the fan was turned on.
Court documents say a test of the ACE9 system inside the car found the system was working, meaning the safety measure designed to protect the K-9 was either manually turned off or disabled the day of Horus' death.
A farewell ceremony for Horus was held last Saturday to honor the K-9’s three years of service to the community.
The police dog's death has sparked outrage in the community, with many upset that Horus was originally buried without a mark.
Community members then erected a makeshift memorial at his burial site, and last month an anonymous donor purchased a permanent headstone for Horus, the newspaper reported.
It's unclear if Ziegler faced any disciplinary action from the department in connection with the K9's death.
A recent bill signed by Governor Mike Parson increases penalties for law enforcement injuring and killing animals, stating that those responsible could face a Class D felony charge, the second-lowest category of felony in the state.
This charge is punishable by up to seven years in prison, up to one year in county jail, or a court fine of up to $10,000.
