Nine dogs starting K-9 training die from ride in hot truck, Indiana cops say. 2 charged
Two men have been charged in the 2023 heat-related deaths of nine dogs being transported to a K-9 training facility, Indiana authorities said.
After a yearlong investigation, Michigan City residents Michael McHenry, 55, and Jessee Urbaszewski, 44, are each charged with 18 counts of neglect of a vertebrate animal, according to an Aug. 27 news release from Indiana State Police.
Attorney information for McHenry and Urbaszewski was not available.
Police said the dogs died from “being transported in a box truck in extremely dangerous heat conditions.”
The dogs were being taken on July 27, 2023, from O’Hare International Airport to a training facility in Michigan, according to a 2023 news release from Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter.
In total, 18 dogs were being transported to F.M.K9, including 10 German shepherds, six Belgian Malinois, and two Dutch shepherds, WGN reported.
According to the website, F.M.K9, in Berrien Center offers courses in narcotics and explosives detection, utility, and search and rescue, among others. McHenry is listed as the owner and lead trainer.
McClatchy News tried to reach the business but did not receive an immediate response.
The day of the transport, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit, Urbaszewski stopped for gas and realized the dogs were in distress, the Associated Press reported.
Despite efforts by good Samaritans and first responders to save the dogs, three died at the scene and six were euthanized, the AP said. The truck was later determined to have a “substandard cooling system,” the outlet reported.
A couple at the scene offered to buy all the dogs for $100,000 in an attempt to save them, eventually being allowed to buy one Belgian Malinois they were helping for $7,500 according to WGN.
McHenry posted a $35,995 cash bond and Urbaszewski posted a $17,995 bond, court records show. They are due in court for an initial hearing Sept. 13.
This story was originally published August 29, 2024 at 6:43 PM with the headline "Nine dogs starting K-9 training die from ride in hot truck, Indiana cops say. 2 charged."
