Missouri police officer charged in death of K-9 officer left in hot car
A Missouri police officer has been charged after allegedly leaving his K-9 officer inside a hot car overnight in June, leading to his death.
On Friday, charges against Savannah Police Lt. Daniel Zeigler were filed in Andrew County, including one count of animal abuse.
According to court documents obtained by Fox 2, the incident took place on June 20 when Zeigler and his K-9 partner Horus completed their overnight shift just before 5 a.m.
Just before 6 p.m. the same day, Zeigler contacted Savannah Police Chief Dave Vincent and informed him Horus was dead.
MISSOURI K-9 OFFICER DIES AFTER BEING LEFT INSIDE HOT CAR OVERNIGHT: 'TREMENDOUS LOSS'
An investigation determined Horus had been left in the police vehicle by Ziegler following the end of the shift and had died of heat exposure, court records stated.
FOX 4 reported that the maximum temperature that day was 90 degrees, with the low being 70 degrees outside.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, research indicates that the temperature inside a vehicle can rise to over 100 degrees in a half-hour, even if it’s only 70 degrees outside.
In the court documents, a witness told investigators about seeing the deceased K-9 officer in the yard near the police vehicle that evening and described Zeigler as "flipping out" and yelling in disbelief that he thought he had brought the K-9 in at the end of his shift.
A test was also conducted on Ziegler's vehicle following his alleged confession about Horus's death. His vehicle was parked outside in direct sunlight with the ignition turned off and court documents stated that when the internal temperature reached 90 degrees, the vehicle began to honk repeatedly, rolled down the rear windows, and activated a fan.
This test was used to demonstrate the AceK9 system inside the police vehicle was in working order and would have had to be manually turned off or deactivated on June 20, aiding in the death of Horus by removing a safeguard to prevent the tragedy, court documents stated.
A farewell service was held on Saturday to honor K-9 Officer Horus who had served the community for over three years.
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The police department also posted a statement on social media back in July announcing that an anonymous donor had offered to purchase a headstone for Horus.
"Thank you to our donor, and Vanvickle Monuments for the headstone honoring our K9 Officer Horus," the department wrote in a caption with images of the headstone.
A bill was recently signed by Gov. Mike Parson called Max’s Law, which increases penalties for injuring and killing animals in law enforcement.
"These heroic animals put their lives on the line every day to protect the public and their human partners," Republican state Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer said in a previous statement. "The law should protect them."
According to the Savannah Police Department website, Lt. Ziegler is still listed on the staff roster.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Savannah Police Department for comment, but has not yet heard back.