A New Jersey sheriff’s sergeant in charge of his department’s K-9 unit has been arrested and charged with recklessly causing the death of two police dogs by leaving them in an overheating vehicle.
Cody L. Henderson, 41, of the Salem County Sheriff’s Office, was arrested Tuesday following the deaths of K-9s Boomer, a 6-year-old springer spaniel, and Rip, a 4-year-old Belgian malinois, on May 29. According to the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office, Henderson discovered the dogs dead in his police car around 3:30 p.m. and subsequently drove them to an animal hospital in Delaware.
An investigation determined that Henderson had left the two dogs unattended in the K-9 police vehicle from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. while it was parked at the Salem City County Courthouse Complex. Surveillance footage and county key fob logs indicated that Henderson remained inside the courthouse for the entire seven-hour period without checking on the animals.
Prosecutors alleged that the K-9 police vehicle was not kept running during this time, the windows were closed, and the emergency alert system—designed to activate an alarm and lower the vehicle’s windows if the interior temperature rises too high—was not engaged. Investigators found no evidence of malfunction with the vehicle or the heat alarm device. However, the vehicle’s maintenance log indicated it was awaiting repair for an air conditioning malfunction. Available indoor kennels were also not utilized, according to investigators.
Henderson faces multiple charges, including two third-degree counts of purposefully, knowingly, or recklessly causing bodily injury to a living animal by failing to provide necessary care, resulting in death. He had been placed on administrative leave with pay following the dogs' deaths and remains suspended pending the outcome of his court case.
Post-mortem examinations concluded that Boomer and Rip likely died from hyperthermia, or heat stroke. Rip, a Belgian malinois, served as a patrol and drug-detection K-9 and joined the sheriff’s office in 2023. Boomer, a springer spaniel, specialized in bomb detection since joining the department in 2021.
Henderson joined the sheriff’s office in 2009, returned in 2017, and graduated from the police K-9 training program in 2022, eventually becoming head of the agency’s K-9 unit. The Salem County Sheriff, Chuck Miller, stated that the loss of the two K-9s has had a profound impact on the agency and the law enforcement community, and that their service, loyalty, and dedication will not be forgotten.