Police: CCSD officer left K-9 in vehicle over 6 hours, causing its death
Court filings allege that a Clark County School District police officer left “his K9 partner” in his vehicle for over six hours, causing the dog’s death.
James Harris faces misdemeanor counts of confining an animal in a motor vehicle and failing to provide for a confined animal.
A CCSD police affidavit said Harris did not leave water for the dog, K-9 Marley. There also were not “sufficient airflow or temperature controls,” police said.
Harris, a CCSD police officer since 2003 and a K-9 handler since 2019, was assigned to Foothill High School for the school day on Nov. 14, when the assigned officers were absent, according to the affidavit.
K-9 Marley was also on duty that day and was in the kennel of Harris’ department vehicle, police said. When Harris arrived at the school, the dog was not seen leaving the vehicle with him, according to the records.
Harris said in a statement that he shut off the air in the passenger part of the car but left it on for the dog and kept the vehicle running, police wrote.
He admitted to failing to check on Marley for the time he was assigned to the school, according to the affidavit, and said he disconnected a heat sensor designed to open the windows, turn on a fan and sound an alarm if the vehicle reaches a temperature dangerous for the animal.
Police said surveillance video over 6½ hours did not show Harris checking on the dog, giving him water or allowing him to relieve himself.
After Harris returned, police said he “called out for assistance and stated over the radio that there was a problem with his dog.” He performed CPR on the K-9 before the dog was pronounced dead at an animal hospital, according to the affidavit.
“The subsequent autopsy and necropsy performed on K9 Marley state that K9 Marley is likely to have died from heat related illness, as no other health or medical contributing factors were observed,” police wrote.
District Attorney Steve Wolfson in December called for harsher penalties for people convicted of animal cruelty following a high-profile case in which a bulldog called Reba died after being put in a taped-shut plastic tote.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.
