A Missouri police officer has been charged after he left a police dog in a hot car overnight in June, causing its death.
On Friday, Andrew County filed charges against Savannah Police Lt. Daniel Zeigler, including one count of animal cruelty.
According to court documents Obtained by Fox 2The incident happened on June 20th, when Zeigler and his police canine partner, Holus, finished their night shift just before 5 a.m.
Just before 6 p.m. that same day, Zeigler contacted Savannah Police Chief Dave Vincent to inform him that Holce had died.
Missouri police dog officer dies after being left in hot car overnight: 'A great loss'
A Missouri state trooper has been charged in the death of a police dog that was left in a hot car overnight earlier this summer. (Savannah Police Department)
According to court records, an investigation determined that Holth died of heat stroke after being left in a police vehicle by Ziegler after the end of her shift.
FOX4 reported: Maximum Temperature The temperature that day was 90 degrees, with a low of 70 degrees.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, research shows Temperature inside the car Even if the temperature outside is 70 degrees, it can rise to over 100 degrees within 30 minutes.
Court documents state that a witness told investigators they saw a dead police dog in a yard near a police vehicle that evening and that Zeigler “panicked” and yelled in disbelief that he thought the dog had been brought in at the end of his shift.
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Police officers in the small town of Andrew County, Missouri, are mourning the loss of their police dog companion, Holus. (FOX 4/Savannah Missouri Police Department)
Ziegler's car, in which he allegedly confessed to Holce's death, was also searched. Ziegler's car was parked outside in direct sunlight with the engine off, and when the temperature inside the car reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit, he repeatedly honked the horn, rolled down the rear window and turned on the fan, court documents state.
The test was used to prove that the AceK9 system in the police vehicle was working properly and should have been manually turned off or disabled on June 20, removing a safety device meant to prevent tragedy and contributing to Holce's death, court documents state.
A farewell ceremony was held Saturday in memory of Officer Hols, a police dog who served the community for more than three years.
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An anonymous donor purchased a permanent headstone for late Savannah Police K-9 Officer Holce. (Savannah Police Department)
The police department also posted a statement on social media in July saying an anonymous donor had offered to purchase a headstone for Horus.
“Thank you to the donors and VanVickle Monuments for donating a headstone to honor our police dog Officer Holus,” police wrote in a caption alongside a photo of the headstone.
Gov. Mike Parson recently signed a bill called “MAX's Law,” which increases penalties when law enforcement harms or kills animals.
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“These brave animals put their lives on the line every day to protect the public and their human partners,” Republican state Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer said in an earlier statement. “The law should protect them.”
According to the Savannah Police Department's website, Officer Ziegler remains on the department's roster.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Savannah Police Department for comment but has not yet heard back.
