By Matt Gray | NJ.com
nj.com
SALEM COUNTY, N.J. — The Salem County Sheriff’s Office sergeant charged with causing the deaths of two police K-9s in his care was head of the agency’s K-9 unit, officials confirmed.
Cody L. Henderson, 41, was charged Tuesday following the May 29 deaths of sheriff’s K-9s Boomer and Rip.
Henderson found the dogs dead in his police vehicle that afternoon and drove them to an animal hospital in Delaware, according to the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office.
An investigation revealed the animals were left unattended in the K-9 vehicle without proper ventilation or other care for approximately seven hours that day while it was parked at the county courthouse complex in Salem City, investigators said.
The vehicle, which was outfitted to accommodate two dogs, was not kept running during that time, the windows remained closed and an emergency alert system meant to protect the dogs if a vehicle overheats was not activated, prosecutors said.
Also, “immediately available indoor kennels were not utilized,” according to investigators.
Salem County Sheriff Chuck Miller issued a statement Wednesday acknowledging the charges and mourning the deaths of Boomer and Rip.
“The loss of these loyal partners has had a profound impact on our agency, our law enforcement community, and the citizens they faithfully served,” Miller said. “We continue to honor the memory and service of Rip and Boomer and extend our thoughts to all those affected by this tragic loss.”
He referred questions about the case to the county prosecutor’s office.
When reached by phone Tuesday, Henderson declined to comment. Court records did not list an attorney for him as of Wednesday morning.
Henderson is suspended pending the outcome of the case.
In a suspension notice issued Tuesday, Henderson was told that his pay will cease on July 13, according to county Undersheriff Michael Peterson . State law dictates that five-day timeframe, Peterson explained.
Henderson originally joined the sheriff’s office in March 2009 , but left in August 2013 for a job with Salem City’s police department.
He returned to the county sheriff’s office in September 2017 and was promoted to sergeant in May of last year.
He graduated from a police K-9 training program in 2022, according to a sheriff’s office Facebook post, and later became head of the agency’s K-9 unit.
Henderson arrived for work on the morning of May 29 around 8:30 a.m. , parked his K-9 vehicle at the county complex in Salem and did not return to the vehicle until around 3:30 p.m. , according to an affidavit filed with the charges.
He remained in the county courthouse during that time and did not check on the dogs, investigators wrote, citing sheriff’s office surveillance video and county key fob logs.
A necropsy determined the deaths of Rip and Boomer were likely the result of hyperthermia/heat stroke, according to the affidavit.
Investigators do not believe that any vehicle or equipment malfunction contributed to the deaths.
A K-9 heat alarm system in the vehicle was not activated that day, investigators said.
The heat alarm triggers the vehicle’s horn and emergency lights, lowers the windows and sends an alert to a device carried by the officer when the temperature in a police K-9 vehicle gets too high.
A review of the alarm system in Henderson’s vehicle determined it was working but was “presumably turned off” that day, according to the affidavit.
As for why no one else in the area would have noticed the K-9s in the SUV, the sheriff noted that the vehicle has tinted windows and safety signs warning people to keep their distance because dogs are inside.
Henderson is charged with two third-degree counts of purposefully, knowingly or recklessly causing bodily injury to a living animal by failing to provide necessary care, resulting in death.
He’s also charged with two counts each of the following disorderly persons offenses:
- infliction of unnecessary cruelty upon a living animal by leaving the living animal unattended in a vehicle under inhumane conditions
- as a person charged with the care of a living animal, failure to provide the living animal with necessary care
- unlawful cruel restraint of a dog in a manner that exposes the dog to adverse environmental conditions for more than 30 minutes
Rip, a 4-year-old male Belgian malinois, was a patrol and drug-detection K-9 who joined the sheriff’s office in 2023. Boomer, a 6-year-old springer spaniel, specialized in bomb detection and joined the sheriff’s office in 2021.
The agency recently purchased a new bomb-detecting K-9 to replace Boomer and plans to procure a replacement for Rip in the next few months, Miller said.
The sheriff’s K-9 unit consists of three officers and typically includes five dogs. The cost to purchase and get a dog ready for service is about $15,000 per animal, an official estimated.
Companion Animal Advocates, a New Jersey -based animal advocacy group, posted its thanks to the prosecutor’s office for bringing charges in the case.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify details about the officer’s current pay status.
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