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Wyoming police officer, Zachary Miller was a four-year veteran of the Mills Police Department and a previous Officer of the Year winner when he left his partner, a narcotics-sniffing Black Labrador named Nyx, in the back of his patrol car while he went inside the police department to train another officer.
While temperatures outside the vehicle jumped to the high 80’s, temperatures inside, where Nyx was trapped without fresh air, food, water, or ventilation, soared much higher.
When he returned to his car about 5 hours later, Nyx was dead.
Nyx was, according to the New York Daily News, one of the best narcotics detection dogs the Wyoming law enforcement agency had ever had. He had been working with the force for about 7 years when he was killed.
Miller pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty in Natrona County Circuit Court on Friday, but was released on a $500 bond.
If convicted, he faces up to 6 months in jail or a $750 fine.
The Mills Police Department issued a statement saying that “Officer Miller has been disciplined within the department because of his actions.”
He is currently still employed by the Mills PD. Additionally, the Department has suspended their K-9 program and is reviewing options, including heat detectors inside vehicles to prevent further tragedies.
donald
Oct 2, 2014 at 7:46 pm
need to handcuff this fool and lock him in the car in the same place as when the police dog died and see how he survives
Eric
Aug 27, 2014 at 11:51 pm
I just started a petition on Care2: Justice for murdered K-9. I’m hoping that if enough people sign my petition, we can make a difference. Right now I’ve got 167 signatures — will you help me collect more by adding your name, and then use the links below to share it on social media?
Here’s a link to the petition: care2.com/go/z/e/AIXOq
Jason
Aug 26, 2014 at 12:41 pm
If a drug addict was to kill this dog he gets charged with murder of an officer .. How does he get away with animal cruelty ???
Gary
Aug 26, 2014 at 10:48 am
There is no excuse for this person to still be employed by that or any other police department after doing something so damn, for the lack of a better word, STUPID.
Let’s just hope he doesn’t have any kids or pets at home.
Barbara Schmidthuber
Aug 26, 2014 at 7:58 am
I am in shock that a trained police officer would do such a thing, I agree that he has killed a fellow officer and derserves stricter sentence. I wonder how he feels any remorse about this….
Ken
Aug 26, 2014 at 2:10 am
Nyx was actually left in the patrol car for OVER 6 1/2 HRS not 5 as stated in the article. And I wonder exactly what kind of training he was supposed to be doing that did not allow him to return to his patrol car for that length of time? Then he tried to blame his rookie trainee for not leaving the AC on in the car. This “officer” should receive a harsher sentence than a normal criminal does as he killed a fellow officer with his ignorance and STUPIDITY….
This happened here in my home state just outside of the city where my brother lives
Linda
Aug 25, 2014 at 9:27 pm
He killed a fellow officer NO EXCUSE for what he did
Patricia
Aug 25, 2014 at 8:43 pm
DONT LEAVE ANIMALS IN HOT CARS!!!! ITS HIS JOB TO HELP ENFORCE AND HE CANT EVEN DO IT HIMSELF??? ARE THEY KIDDING WITH THAT PUNISHMENT?? NYX HAD SENORITY OVER HIM, SURE IT WASNT INTENTIONAL?? NYX DIDNT DESERVE THAT KIND OF TREATMENT, HE DOESNT DESERVE HIS BADGE, POS COP!!! THANKS ALOT JUSTICE SYSTEM, FOR PROTECTING YOURSELF AT ALL COSTS AS USUAL. .
Julie Harless
Aug 25, 2014 at 4:19 pm
The officer should be punished as though he killed a fellow officer because that is what the dog was. 🙁 Why is such an idiot allowed to still work in a job such as this? How can he be aware and intelligent enough to “Protect and Serve” the people if he can’t even protect his own partner???
Carol Burzen
Sep 14, 2014 at 9:57 pm
I heard about this on line. I have written on face book every night for two weeks, hoping my friends will send this around like the ice bucket challenge for ALS. I cannot wrap my mind around what Officer Miller has done. I love the part when he said he loved his dog so much he took her (the article I saw said her) on family vacations. I called Mills police station and asked how this could happen. A very rude girl said she wasn’t allowed to comment but I could talk to the Chief of Police. Well, he wasn’t in. SURPRISE. I immediately called the Chicago newspaper and asked them to do an article and they said it was old news. They weren’t interested in even talking to me. I want to try to reach 20/20 or the guy who wrote Marley and Me. Someone has to care!!!!!
donald
Oct 2, 2014 at 7:41 pm
you’re so right
Bubba Wisdom
Aug 25, 2014 at 1:59 pm
Instead detectors just take the dog with! I don’t give a rats ass what awards he won. Award him 6 months. Don’t worry he won’t be awarded that. Cops can shoot dogs, there life endangered to a dog on a chain. Now what is really excuse, I am a cop. Don’t forget shot for brains.
Kay Stout
Aug 25, 2014 at 1:08 pm
Find it almost incomprehensible that a K9 police officer would be so negligent.