The state official responsible for caring for Maine’s first official comfort dog who died in a hot car has resigned, according to the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Brodie Hinckley, the former director of the Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications, was accused of leaving a 3-year-old chocolate Labrador named Baxter inside a Department of Public Safety vehicle for hours on a hot day in May.
Hinckley was charged with a civil violation of animal cruelty in September and was placed on paid administrative leave.
The Maine Department of Public Safety said he resigned from the Department of Public Safety on Oct. 3.
Baxter was found dead on May 28 inside a state vehicle parked at the Bangor Regional Communications Center.
The Maine Department of Public Safety said the state vehicle Baxter was in was supposed to be running with the air conditioning on, but they said they discovered the car off and Baxter dead.
Baxter had been left in the vehicle for more than four hours, draining its battery.
The comfort pup joined the Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications in 2022.
His job was to help improve the mood of first responders in Maine’s three emergency communication centers.
Hinckley is expected to appear in Bangor Court on November 6.
