La. Officer Gets Demotion, Pay Cut After Leaving K-9 in Hot Car, Leading to Death 

Ivar, a 5-year-old K-9 officer, was left unattended by a deputy in a Livingston Parish patrol car during a heat advisory

Ivar the K-9 dog. Photo: Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office

A Louisiana sheriff's deputy who left a K-9 officer unattended in a patrol car during a heat advisory, after which the dog died, has been demoted with a cut in pay.

The officer was not identified, and has not faced criminal prosecution.

Ivar, a 5-year-old service dog, died Aug. 20 from heat exhaustion after being "accidentally left in a K-9 vehicle," Livingston Parish Sheriff Sheriff Jason Ard said in a statement at the time, reports the Livingston Parish News.

A heat advisory was in effect for that same day, with the high temperature reaching 93 degrees, according to Accuweather.com.

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The sheriff said the animal's unnamed handler was disciplined as a result of the incident, but no further detail was provided, with the sheriff adhering to department policy of not releasing the names of officers unless they've been charged with a crime and keeping internal personnel actions private, reports The Advocate.

But on Friday, Ard spoke publicly about the discipline meted out to the officer.

"In the incident involving the death of K-9 officer Ivar, the deputy was demoted resulting in a significant reduction in pay," Ard said in a followup statement, reports WAFB-TV.

According to The Advocate, state prosecutor Scott Perrilloux looked into the incident but determined that Ivar died as a result of ordinary negligence, rather than criminal negligence.

"There weren't any facts that supported a higher level of negligence," and the deputy would not face criminal charges, he said.