TORONTO – Another U.S. police dog has died after being left unattended for hours in a patrol car.
According to 19 Action News, Sgt. Brett Harrison arrived at Montville Township Police department in Ohio just before 11 a.m. on Sept. 28 to file some paperwork.
It wasn’t until just after 3 p.m. when Harrison returned to his patrol car to find his canine partner Beny dead.
According to police, Beny died of heat stroke.
“It was a horrible mistake,” Chief Terry Grice told Action News. “He parked the car in to minimize the sunlight on the vehicle, but when he was in the office, he thought the car was running.”
It wasn’t, and the vehicle’s windows were rolled up. The outside temperature reportedly reached 26C that afternoon.
“This is a loss that words cannot describe, and it is very difficult for everyone involved,” said Grice. “There is no doubt that this loss will have a lasting impact on Sgt. Harrison and our entire department.”
In a letter to the police department, Harrison expressed grief and apologized for his actions.
READ MORE: Police dog dies after being left in hot patrol car
“I want to say I’m sorry to my partner, friend and loving family member Beny,” he wrote. “I wish everyday that I could go back and change that day or that I could put myself in your place. You will always be in my heart and I will miss you every second of every day.”
Harrison was suspended without pay for two weeks. The SPCA is investigating and charges could be laid.
This is the second such incident in as many months.
In August, a North Carolina police officer left his canine partner in a hot patrol car overnight.
Kela was found dead the next day.
Officer Kevin Williams was reassigned as the result of the death of his partner.
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