The handler of a Maine state “comfort dog” who died in a hot car earlier this year is facing charges connected to the lab’s death.
Brodie Hinckley has now been charged with a civil violation of animal cruelty, according to the Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office.
Hinckley has been placed on paid administrative leave, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety said.
The announcement comes more than three months after Baxter’s death.
The 3-year-old chocolate lab, who served as Maine’s first comfort dog, was found dead inside a state vehicle at the Bangor Regional Communications Center in late May.
Officials previously said something caused the running vehicle to unexpectedly turn off, shutting off the air conditioning.
Following a review by the Maine Department of Public Safety, the state’s Animal Welfare Program launched an independent investigation.
Baxter’s professional career began in September 2022, when the tail-wagging pup held a press conference.
The friendly lab worked for Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications, though Baxter considered his assignment simply a cheap ploy to get treats.
Baxter had been rescued as a puppy and bottle-fed by volunteers for a nonprofit in New Hampshire that pairs trained dogs with veterans and first responders.
