The Cache County Attorney's Office has filed criminal charges against a deputy with the county sheriff's office, in connection to with the death of police K-9 Endy. Deputy Jason Whittier was paired with the dog in 2016 and will be facing one count of aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class B misdemeanor. The Cache County Sheriff's Office announced that Endy had died of heat exhaustion after being left in a hot police car.
According to officials with the attorney's office, Whittier and Endy returned home around noon July 3 following a shift. The patrol truck was parked near his residence in a spot with very little shade, the left home for family activities. Meanwhile, Endy was left inside the truck on a day which reached a high of 94 degrees according to the Utah Climate Center.
When Whittier returned home that evening, he realized the dog was not in the kennel and had been left in the truck. He found Endy dead inside, then contacted his supervisor "distraught" to inform of of what had happened. Endy's remains were taken to the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and analyzed to determine the cause of death. The final ruling came down that Endy had died of a fatal heatstroke.
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