Missouri City Fires Police Officer Over Death of K9 Partner

A police officer has been fired after being charged with animal abuse for killing his K-9 partner in Missouri.

The Savannah, Missouri, Board of Aldermen voted in a closed session Monday to terminate Lieutenant Daniel Zeigler, the city announced on a social media post.

Zeigler has been charged with one count of animal abuse, which is a class A misdemeanor, and is scheduled to appear in court on October 8 in Division 5 of Andrew County Circuit Court.

A statement by the Savannah Police Department said: “In a close session meeting on Monday, September 9, 2024, the Savannah Board of Alderman voted to terminate employment with Lieutenant Daniel Zeigler.”

Newsweek has contacted the Savannah Police Department for comment.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Andrew County Circuit Court, Zeigler and his K-9 partner, Horus, a full-breed German shepherd, finished their overnight shift at 4:49 a.m. on June 20. At 5:54 p.m., Zeigler contacted Police Chief Dave Vincent to report that Horus was dead.

The affidavit states that Vincent discovered Horus had been left in the police vehicle all day and died from heat exposure.

Horus joined the Savannah Police Department in 2021 when he was nearly 2 years old, police said. Savannah is located about 45 minutes north of Kansas City.

According to court records, investigators tested the AceK9 system in Zeigler’s vehicle on June 26 and found that the safeguard was fully functional on the day Horus died.

When tested, the system repeatedly honked, rolled down the rear windows, and activated a fan once the vehicle’s internal temperature reached 90 degrees.

Court documents state that the system was working properly and would have had to be manually deactivated to bypass the safeguard. The Kansas City International Airport recorded a high of 88 degrees at 3:53 p.m. on June 20, 2024, according to the probable cause statement.

“This test demonstrated the AceK9 system inside the Savannah Police K-9 vehicle was in working order and would have had to been manually turned off/deactivated on June 20, 2024,” prosecutors wrote. “The deactivation of the AceK9 system directly contributed to the death of K-9 Horus by removing a safeguard to prevent such an incident.”

Witnesses reported hearing Zeigler say he thought he had brought Horus inside after his shift.

Another witness, who helped bury the K-9, told investigators they heard Zeigler tell Chief Vincent that Horus’ death was his fault.

Horus’ death sparked outrage in the Savannah community and beyond, with many calling for justice for the K-9.

In Missouri, animal neglect is considered a Class A misdemeanor. It is punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $2,000.

The severity of the punishment depends on the nature of the crime.

Misdemeanors are considered less serious than felonies in the United States.

First-term offenders are likely to receive a misdemeanor.

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