A Salem County Sheriff's officer is facing charges after two police dogs in his care died when they were left inside a hot car, according to prosecutors. The case has drawn attention to the treatment of the working animals that serve alongside law enforcement, and to the responsibilities of the officers entrusted with their care.
Prosecutors identified the officer as Cody Henderson, who they say is now charged with animal cruelty in connection with the deaths. The charge places one of the department's own under scrutiny in a case that centers on how the two dogs came to die.
According to prosecutors, the two animals were police canines known as Boomer and Rip. Officials say Henderson reported that the two K9s were found dead on May 29, the day the case began to take shape.
At the heart of the allegations is how long the dogs were left in the vehicle. Prosecutors say the two canines had been left inside the car for about seven hours, a stretch of time that, in warm conditions, can turn the inside of a vehicle dangerously hot.
The deaths of the two dogs, which had been part of the sheriff's operations, marked a sudden and troubling loss for a department that relies on such animals in its work. Police canines are typically regarded as members of the units they serve, making their deaths all the more keenly felt.
With the animal cruelty charge now filed against Henderson, the case moves forward through the legal process. Authorities have laid out the core of what they say happened, even as questions remain about the circumstances that led to the two dogs being left in the car for so long.