A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy won’t be charged after leaving his K-9 partner overnight in a patrol car, where the dog died.

Deputy Kevin Williams, of the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office, was nearing the end of his shift Aug. 19 when he was called to pick up his sick child.

Williams drove the squad car home and went inside to change clothes and take care of the child.

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The deputy fed Kela, a 5-year-old Belgian shepherd trained to sniff out narcotics, but neglected to take the dog out of his patrol car.

Family members found the animal dead the next morning.

Williams, who had worked with Kela for four-and-a-half years, was devastated by the dog’s death, said Sheriff Blake Wallace.

No criminal charges were filed against the deputy, because prosecutors determined the death was accidental, but he was reassigned to bailiff duty.

A police officer in Wyoming was charged last month with animal cruelty after leaving his K-9 partner in a squad car during the cooler early morning hours, but the windows were rolled up and the air conditioner was off, although the vehicle was running.

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Officer Zachary Miller, of Mills police, returned to the car at midday and found the animal dead.

An Arizona police officer left his dog in a police SUV for about seven hours in April, saying he forgot the K-9 after leaving in his personal vehicle to care for a sick child.

When Officer Jesse Dorantes remembered to call other officers to check on the dog, the animal was dead.

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Prosecutors decided not to charge him with animal cruelty after reviewing a similar 2007 case in which the officer was acquitted.

Watch this video report posted online by WNCT-TV:

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Greenville, NC | News | Weather | Sports – WNCT.com