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TUCSON - The Arizona Department of Public Safety K-9 who died last month was left inside an officer's vehicle for about two hours, according to a document obtained from the Pima County Attorney's Office.

New details about what led to the death of Jeg, a Department of Public Safety K-9, last month are revealed in a letter from the Pima County Attorney's Office to DPS, obtained by News 4 Tucson.

Officer Korey Lankow began his shift on July 11 at about 9:30 a.m., and was driving a "swing car" because his regular patrol vehicle had been scheduled for an oil change. Jeg was in the back of the swing car, the letter states.

When Officer Lankow saw that his regular shift vehicle, a Chevy Tahoe, had already been serviced, he parked the swing car and transferred his property to the Tahoe. He continued preparing for his shift, and left the station to respond to a rollover accident at about 10:30 a.m., the PCAO letter states.

He cleared the scene at about 11 a.m., and spent approximately the next hour patrolling Nogales Highway. When he realized he was low on books containing blank written warning forms, he returned to the DPS headquarters. When he opened the back of his Tahoe, he realized Jeg was not in his kennel, and sped over to the swing car and called for assistance on his radio. This call came in at 12:17 p.m., the document states.

Jeg was found in the back of the swing car. He was transported to a veterinary hospital, and showed signs of improvement overnight, but was euthanized due to heat stress to his internal organs.

It was determined by the Pima County Attorney's Office that Officer Lankow did not "intentionally" or "knowingly" leave Jeg inside the vehicle, therefore, his case did not meet the criteria for a felony Animal Cruelty charge.

"The evidence in this case clearly demonstrates that Office Lankow was completely unaware of the fact that he had left Jeg in the swing car," the PCAO letter states.
Tucson police Department will be forwarding the case to the Tucson City Prosecutor's Office for review regarding any possible misdemeanor charges, the letter states.