Deputy gets 6-day suspension, removed from K-9 unit after dog's hot car death

ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. — An Alachua County deputy was removed from the department’s K-9 unit and given a six-day suspension after his canine partner, Robbie, died of heat exhaustion in the back of his patrol car.

Deputy Tommy Wilcox was the lead K-9 trainer for the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and Robbie was the primary K-9 on the office’s SWAT team, spokesman Lt. Brandon Kutner said.

Wilcox had just returned home in his patrol car on July 8, and after putting up his gear he went to join his family at another location, Kutner said.

The deputy could not remember later if he had let Robbie out of the patrol car and when he returned home he found the dog unresponsive in the back seat.

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The sheriff’s office conducted an internal investigation and found that Wilcox was negligent and did not appropriately perform his duty.

Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell issued a statement along with the results of the internal investigation, saying what happened was a tragic accident.

“Deputy Wilcox made a horrible mistake and continues to deal with great regret and despair every day,” she said.

When determining how to discipline Wilcox, Darnell said she took into consideration the stress he was under the day Robbie died.

“Deputy Wilcox suffered from significant mental and physical fatigue associated with being called out on his normal day off to respond as part of our SWAT Team to assist the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office in apprehending a barricaded murder suspect,” she said. “This call out detail lasted several hours; in addition, upon completion of the detail, Deputy Wilcox was preoccupied with resuming a family outing which had been interrupted with no prior notice.”

Wilcox told investigators that Robbie was his “best friend,” and that he spent more time with the dog than he did with his wife and children.

"Their emotional bond is undeniable, and there is no doubt in my mind that Deputy Willcox and his entire family have grieved more than any of us over this heartbreaking tragedy,” Darnell said.

Along with his suspension and removal from the K-9 unit, Wilcox will also be placed on a three-month disciplinary probation period.

Cox Media Group