A former Georgia police officer is facing felony charges after authorities say two police dogs died in his care.
Daniel Peabody, 50, was arrested Wednesday on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals and making false statements to a law enforcement officer, the Cherokee County Marshal’s Office announced.
Authorities say Peabody, a lieutenant at Cherokee County School District, left a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois named Inca in the back of his car on June 10, causing her to overheat and die. He resigned on June 16, according to the district.
"The patrol car was not properly equipped to transport a Police K9 having no agency approved kennel or heat alarm system,” the marshal’s office stated in a release obtained by The Huffington Post.
As officials were looking into Inca’s death, they learned about the 2012 death of another dog that was in Peabody's custody.
Dale, a yellow lab assigned to Peabody from 2007 to 2012 and subsequently retired from the force, was living with Peabody when he died under mysterious circumstances.
"Peabody initially claimed Dale's death was accidental due to Dale choking on a toy," the marshal’s office stated.
But Peabody later said that he had, in fact, shot Dale at his Pealing County home shortly after Dale retired from service, Cherokee County Marshal's Office Chief Ron Hunton told The Huffington Post. Authorities believe the dog was 6 years old at the time of his death.
"When we started this investigation, we had no knowledge of Dale," Hunton told local ABC affiliate WSB-TV. "Peabody says that the dog was ill and aggressive and that basically, that was the reason why he shot and killed the dog."
In a statement, the Cherokee County School District said that after Dale retired in May of 2012, Peabody requested ownership of him in accordance with the district's policy. "The School District did not know of the allegations in regard to the death of Dale until the Cherokee County Marshal’s Office shared that information," they stated.
Authorities searched Peabody’s former home on Monday as part of the investigation, recovering what they believe are the remains of a canine. Hunton told HuffPost they suspect these are Dale's remains, but are still analyzing them to determine the animal's breed and cause of death.
"The arrest of Peabody does not conclude the investigation as investigators are continuing to follow leads associated with this case,” the marshal's office stated.
Since Peabody's arrest, WSB-TV reported that his wife, Tyler Verlander, has been cited for operating a kennel and boarding business out of her home without a proper license.
She declined to comment to a WSB-TV reporter outside their home.
Authorities booked Peabody into the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center on $22,400 bond.
