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A Columbia, South Carolina police officer will not face criminal charges despite leaving his K9 partner to die, trapped in a hot police car for up to 8 hours.
Columbia Police Officer David Hurt has been released of his dog-handler duties, suspended from the bomb-detection unit for 6 months, and suspended without pay for 5 days after he left his bomb-sniffing canine partner, K9 Turbo, inside his police car for between 6 and 8 hours.
Turbo died from heat exhaustion.
Hurt had parked the car in a shaded spot in a high school parking lot at approximately 7:30am, while he, and several other officers, attended training. For an unknown reason, Hurt deactivated the vehicle’s heat alarm which causes a siren and horn to go off as well as an on-person alarm when the temperature inside the vehicle reaches a certain level.
In a news conference, Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said, “I guess the simplest way for me to start is to acknowledge that we made some mistakes.”
Holbrook explained that Officer Hurt had not given “any logical reason for why he deactivated the heat alarm,” but says the officer had rolled down the rear windows and left the air conditioner on for 2-year old Labrador, Turbo.
Hurt did not return to the vehicle, either to check on Turbo or to allow him a potty break, until about 3:30pm, about 8 hours after parking the car. That’s when he found Turbo showing signs of heat stress – foaming at the mouth, panting heavily, and unsteady on his feet. Turbo was taken to a veterinarian where he was euthanized after suffering organ failure due to heat exhaustion.
Officer Hurt was not charged with animal cruelty after an investigation determined there was no criminal intent behind his actions.
The Columbia Police Department immediately changed policies to ensure another K9 officer never faces the same horrific fate as Turbo. These changes include never deactivating a vehicle’s heat alarm and mandatory hourly checks on dogs left inside police cars.
Natasha
says:Wow! Complete and total bullshit! He didn’t “intend” to murder his dog? Wtf? He was negligent in caring for his dog which was his responsibility! This is why so many K9 dogs die in police cars cause the officers are never charged with anything and get a slap on the hand for it! If this was anyone else, they would have been charged! He got away with murder cause he’s a shitty cop! If he can’t taje care of a dog, how can he serve the public? This asshole should have been arrested and charged with felony animal cruelty! Unbelievable bull shit this is!
ROCK
says:Negligent Homicide if it were the other way around
Jean Dowell
says:can we at least not allow this incompetent fool to have any more k-9 companions? actually… for that matter, why is a person with such bad judgement allowed to hold sway over human lives if he can’t even care for his dog? things that make you wonder… yeah… can him…
S Kennedy
says:Unforgivable. Absolutely unforgivable. SC must have some shitty animal protection laws if criminal intent must be proven. Doesn’t matter if he INTENDED for the dog to suffer and die. His apathy and lack of action caused the horrific suffering of a being that could not help itself. David Hurt is unfit to wear any law enforcement uniform.
Lisa Filkorn
says:For him to not be charged is terrible!! This was pure neglect and abuse! If they want K-9 to be considered police officers and want those who kill them to be charged as though the dog is an officer, then Turbo’s handler should be charged!