K-9 Sergeant Charged After Two K9s Died in Hot Car

Salem, New Jersey – A sergeant with the Salem County Sheriff’s Office is facing criminal charges after two K9s died of heat stroke after being left in a parked vehicle for seven hours. On Wednesday, the Salem County Sheriff’s Office stated:

The Salem County Sheriff’s Office remains deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our K-9 partners, Rip and Boomer. These exceptional canines dedicated their lives to serving and protecting the residents of Salem County and were valued members of our law enforcement family.
The Office has been notified that following an investigation conducted by the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office, K-9 Sergeant Cody Henderson has been formally charged in connection with the deaths of his assigned canine partners K-9 Officer Boomer and K-9 Officer Rip.

An investigation revealed the dogs were left in Cody Henderson’s patrol vehicle between the hours of 8:30 a.m. until about 3:30 p.m. The windows of the vehicle were rolled up and the car was off. Because the vehicle was off, the installed emergency alert system was not functioning.

According to prosecutors, there were indoor kennels available at the courthouse where Sergeant Henderson was attending.

Cody Henderson is facing multiple charges including two third-degree counts of purposefully, knowingly or recklessly causing bodily injury to a living animal by failing to provide necessary care, resulting in death, and two counts each of inflicting unnecessary cruelty upon a living animal by leaving the animals unattended inside a vehicle under inhumane conditions; failing to provide necessary care to animals while responsible for their well-being; and unlawfully restraining a dog in a manner that exposed the animals to adverse environmental conditions for more than 30 minutes.