Dallas Wingate: Iowa officer charged for death of K-9 kept in hot police truck for 22 hours

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Tim Meals, the Story County Attorney, said both his office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are looking into the matter as there may be a conflict of interest. Meals and the state's Division of Criminal Investigation will decide if charges are brought against Wingate. After the death of Bear, Wingate, a skilled K-9 handler resigned from the sheriff's office, as reported by USA Today.

Wingate put Bear in the truck at 10 pm on September 1, according to Iowa DCI Major Crimes Unit Special Agent Marc Ridout. On September 2, at 8 pm, Wingate walked outside to feed his other dogs when he realized Bear wasn't in the outdoor dog run, according to the search warrant. Wingate then recalled he had put Bear in his police car the night before because the dog was barking at a deer. According to the complaint, the deputy saw Bear dead when he walked to the truck, and shortly after that, he called Sheriff Gregg Elsberry. Following a necropsy at a nearby animal hospital, Elsberry brought the dog to Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

According to Justin Glisan, a climatologist at Iowa State, the temperature that day was 89 degrees. According to Glisan, if it was 89 degrees outdoors, the temperature inside a car would have risen between 130 and 135 degrees in just one hour. Due to the ongoing investigation, state authorities declined to release the necropsy results, which would have identified the cause of death. A hot environment inside a car, however, can cause an animal to experience heatstroke, which can result in serious or fatal injuries, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. The group claimed that even slightly opening a window won't help to reduce the temperature inside a car.

The search warrant was first kept secret by Magistrate Adam Hanson, but it was made public on December 1. Although the event occurred in Boone County, Matt Speers, the county attorney, has requested that Story County take over the case. "When there is an actual conflict or the appearance of a conflict, it's not unusual to request a neighboring county to handle the prosecution side of the case," Speers said. "I felt there could be at least an appearance of conflict." 

Elsberry, the sheriff of Boone County just announced his resignation, two years before the end of his tenure. His resignation hasn't been publicly explained. He filed his resignation on November 9 and his last day in the office is December 31.