Former Officer Charged in Death of Police Dog

CANTON, GA — The officer whose police K-9 died inside a Cherokee County School Police Department patrol vehicle has been charged in connection with the dog's death.

Daniel Peabody, who resigned last week from his post as a lieutenant with the Cherokee County School District, is charged with one count of aggravated cruelty to animals and one count of making false statements, Cherokee Chief Marshal Ron Hunton said.

Hunton made the announcement Wednesday afternoon in a press conference held at the Roger D. Garrison Law Enforcement Training Center in Canton.

Peabody, 50, was arrested and booked into the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center Wednesday with no bond. Both charges are felony offenses, Hunton said.

The arrest follows an investigation conducted by the Cherokee Marshal’s Office, Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office, Cherokee County Solicitor General’s Office and Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.

The aggravated cruelty to animal charge, Hunton added, stems from Peabody leaving his partner in a patrol car "with no ventilation while the engine was off, which resulted in the death of the K-9 from a heat stroke."

The car was not properly equipped to transport police K-9s, as it did not have an agency-approved heat alarm or kennel system.

The felony false statement charge derives from Peabody informing marshal's office investigators about the death of Dale, a yellow Labrador who was retired from the Cherokee County School Police Department in 2012.

Hunton said the agency received information about Dale after it opened its investigation into Inka's death.

Peabody was responsible for Dale's upkeep and care after his retirement. Peabody allegedly told investigators Dale's death was accidental and was caused by him choking on a toy, the marshal's office said.

"However, the investigation yielded evidence that Dale was in fact shot and killed by Peabody at his Paulding County home shortly after Dale was retired from active service," Hunton added.

Hunton told reporters that Peabody told investigators that Dale was "ill and aggressive," which was why he allegedly shot and killed the dog.

On June 20, marshal's office investigators and their counterparts with the Paulding County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at Peabody's former home, and animal remains believed to be those of a dog were recovered from the property, Hunton stated.

Those remains are being analyzed to determine dog's the breed and cause of death.

Dale was assigned to Peabody from 2007 to 2012, and investigators believe he was about 6 years old at the time of his death.

The Cherokee County School District said Dale was retired from duty in May 2012, and its policy allows handlers to apply to adopt a retiring K-9. Peabody was subsequently granted ownership of Dale.

"The school district did not know of these allegations in regard to the death of Dale until the Cherokee County Marshal’s Office shared that information," spokesperson Barbara Jacoby said.

During the investigation, the marshal's office also learned that Peabody's wife, Tyler Verlander, was allegedly operating a kennel/boarding business out of their home. Verlander, the agency said, did not have a business license and the property was not zoned or permitted for that type of use.

"There were no indications or reasons to believe that any animals were in danger or harmed while at the home," the agency said.

Verlander was cited for operating an animal boarding and training business without a business license, operating a boarding and training business inside a residential-zoned district and operating the business within 75 feet of residential property.

Peabody was the owner of K-9 Inka, who was found dead Friday, June 10 in the patrol vehicle belonging to the school police department.

Officers with the marshal's office and deputies with the Cherokee Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a call of an unresponsive dog at an address in unincorporated Cherokee County.

A preliminary investigation indicates Peabody arrived home around 4:15 p.m., turned off his car, allegedly left Inka in the rear of the patrol vehicle and went inside his home to attend to another dog, the marshal's office said.

Around 7 p.m., the officer remembered Inka was in the patrol vehicle and made the grim discovery when he went outside to check on the pup.

Inka was Peabody's personal dog, but the Cherokee County School Board paid for its upkeep and maintenance, as it was employed by the system. A necropsy performed on Inka show the dog died of heat stroke.

Return to Patch for updates.

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Photo: Daniel Peabody. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office