Investigators with the McAllen Police Department charged San Juan police Officer Juan Luis Cerrillo Jr., 37, of McAllen with cruelty to non-livestock animals, a Class A misdemeanor. (Photo courtesy of the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office)

Investigators arrested a San Juan K-9 officer on Saturday, when the policeman left his K-9 partner unattended in a police car — killing the dog.

Investigators with the McAllen Police Department charged San Juan police Officer Juan Luis Cerrillo Jr., 37, of McAllen with cruelty to non-livestock animals, a Class A misdemeanor.

According to a news release from the the McAllen Police Department:

Day/Date: Thursday/June 3, 2016.

Time: 5:30 PM.

Location: 2400 Block of N. I Street

Nature of Call-For-Service: Request Officer/Police Canine Left Unattended

The McAllen Police Department dispatched officers to above location in response to a Request Officer Call-For-Service. At arrival, officers determined that caller was a San Juan Police employee and that the San Juan employee reported that he had left a police canine unattended in a police unit.

Responding Officers determined that the San Juan employee was a San Juan Police Officer, the police canine was assigned to him as was the police unit wherein the police canine had been left unattended. The canine, a Belgian Malinois, had expired by the time responding officer’s had arrived on scene.

As part of this investigation, the McAllen Police Department has referred the deceased canine for a necropsy (animal autopsy).

McAllen police arrested Cerrillo on Saturday.

“It was an unfortunate accident,” said San Juan City Manager Ben Arjona.

Hidalgo County jailers booked Cerrillo at 9:43 a.m. Saturday and released him at 11:04 a.m., according to Sheriff’s Office records.

Conviction on a Class A misdemeanor would make Cerrillo ineligible to hold a peace office license.