LAKE STATION, Ind. – Indiana State Police announced that charges have been dropped in the heat-exhaustion deaths of eight dogs discovered in a box truck last summer.

What we know:

A verdict was reached Thursday in the case involving the July 27, 2023, incident in Lake Station, Indiana, according to ISP.

Police said the box truck, allegedly unventilated, was transporting the dogs from O’Hare International Airport to a K-9 training facility in Michigan.

 “The Indiana State Police respects the role of the judiciary and the legal process; however, we are disappointed in the court’s recent decision to dismiss the charges in this case. Our detectives dedicated significant time and effort into this investigation, following the evidence, to present a thorough and accurate case for prosecution. We believe the charges filed by the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office appropriately reflected the seriousness of the alleged conduct. The Indiana State Police will continue to work tirelessly to investigate crimes, support victims, and bring forward cases based on facts and evidence, regardless of the ultimate legal outcome,” ISP said in a statement. 

According to state police, multiple animal-cruelty charges had been filed against the two suspects, Michael McHendry and Jessie Urbinski.

The truck driver, who was representing a Michigan dog-training company reportedly known as FMK9, was allegedly allowed by Lake Station police to refuse help from Hobart Humane Society workers. Responders said they arrived quickly and attempted to provide first aid to the dogs.

PETA also issued a statement condemning the court’s decision.

“No amount of deference to the police and its contractors can undo the prolonged suffering these dogs endured, baking to death and desperate to escape cages as their organs shut down in the suffocating heat of an unventilated truck. But the system’s utter failure to hold the dogs’ “owner” accountable in some small way for the hell he put them through serves as another example of why the time is now for law-enforcement agencies to phase out the use of K9s,” PETA said. 

No additional details on the case or the court’s ruling have been released.

Indiana prosecutor requests investigation into heat exhaustion deaths of 8 dogs in box truck