Missouri Police Officer Charged With Animal Abuse in K-9 Death

A Savannah Missouri Police Department K-9, a German Shepherd named Horus, passed away due to heat exposure earlier this year in June. Now, the dog’s police force partner Lieutenant Daniel R. Zeigler is facing animal abuse charges stemming from the case. Horus’ death occurred after an overnight shift with Lieutenant Zeigler. This is because of the deactivation of the vehicle’s AceK9 system, which was designed to protect him.

K-9 officer Horus died due to Missouri police officer’s negligence

Savannah Missouri Police Lieutenant Daniel R. Zeigler is facing animal abuse charges for causing K-9 officer Horus’ death on June 20. The German Shepherd’s death occurred in the early morning hours after the two partners ended an overnight shift. Zeigler reportedly contacted his Missouri Police Chief Dave Vincent just before 6:00 that morning to inform him of the dog’s death.

An investigation revealed that Lieutenant Zeigler had deactivated the police vehicle’s AceK9 system after the end of their shift at 4:49 a.m. The car is equipped with the system to protect the K-9 officers. Horus’ death was “directly” linked to the deactivation of the AceK9. A witness then heard Zeigler take responsibility for the dog’s death during the burial later that night.

Further findings revealed that the temperatures on the day Missouri police K-9 Horus died had reached a record high of 88 degrees. Investigators also tested the AceK9 in the vehicle Lieutenant Daniel R. Zeigler had driven that night. They confirmed the system “was in working order.” They determined that someone “would have had to have been manually turned off/deactivated on June 20, 2024.”

The statement concluded, “The deactivation of the AceK9 system directly contributed to the death of K-9 Horus by removing a safeguard to prevent such an incident.” Zeigler faces one count of misdemeanor animal abuse in light of the recent discoveries.

Missouri police K-9 Horus was nearly two years old when he joined the force in February 2021. The German Shepherd then trained alongside Daniel Zeigler, a low-ranking sergeant at the time, for eight weeks before they were “on the streets.” The police department had also announced that they had purchased Horus using community donations.

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