Texas officials have fired a sheriff’s deputy for killing his K9 partner Jola, and have referred the case to the local district attorney for prosecution.
Ex-lawman Latham Roldan left the police dog in an overheated patrol car for more than 20 hours, during which the beloved service animal died.
Worse, the criminally negligent officer failed to activate a system installed in his vehicle that would have prevented K-9 Jola’s death from heat exhaustion.
Cop cruisers that are used to transport service dogs are equipped with backup systems that, when triggered, roll down windows, turn on the air conditioning, and even issue loud warnings that the car’s interior is reaching a life-threatening temperature.
“Policies were violated and he was terminated," a spokesman with the sheriff's department frankly informed reporters today.
"It's just a sad situation when you lose a member from the department," he added, referring exclusively to the murdered canine.
