July 11. Cornelius Police Chief David Baucom says an internal investigation into a botched animal welfare call on June 7 resulted in an unpaid suspension for the officer involved and a suspension from his duties as an active K9 handler.

A dog was left in a hot vehicle, a good Samaritan opened the door to give it water and a police officer responded in a way that “was not consistent with the way our officers treat the public or the core values of our agency.”

Due to North Carolina laws restricting public announcement of personnel matters, other actions that are being taken can’t be released. To view the chief’s comments in a video on Facebook, click here.

The criminal investigation was presented to the Mecklenburg County Magistrate’s Office, and no probable cause was found for the charge of Cruelty to Animals for the owner of the dog.

Police also released a timeline of the incident:

2:03 pm – The canine owner enters Cornelius via I-77.

2:05 pm – The canine owner turns left onto Liverpool Pkwy toward the parking lot entrance of the fast-food restaurant.

The dog owner parks and enters the fast-food restaurant to order food and use the restroom.

His juvenile son walks the dog and gives it water. The juvenile son later goes into the fast-food restaurant to join the dog owner, leaving the canine in the vehicle. Approximately 3-5 minutes pass.

2:16 pm – A call for service is received by dispatch from the caller and entered into CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch).

The complainant stated the dog owner returned to his vehicle approximately 5 minutes after her call to 911.

2:26 pm – The officer arrives on the scene.

There is no direct video footage from the fast-food restaurant; however, the available cameras, along with the statements from all parties involved, corroborate this timeline.

Details

The original video of this incident, posted online, shows that the windows of the truck were approximately 2-3 inches down.

What’s next

As a result of this incident, every officer will receive additional training on the general statute that governs the ability of first responders to enter a vehicle to protect the health and safety of an animal.

Quotable

“This has been a learning experience, and we want everyone to know our agency can and will do better with how we respond to these types of calls in the future.”

Police released another video June 16.