Fairmount police officer charged with animal cruelty after sniffer dog dies in car

FAIRMOUNT, Indiana – A central Indiana police officer has now been charged with animal cruelty after his police dog partner died in the back seat of his patrol car last year.

The misdemeanor charge was filed Thursday against Kyle James Vincent, a Fairmount Police Department officer who has been on leave since September 2023 after his police dog partner was found dead in the back seat of his patrol car.

According to previous reports, K-9 Zeusz died in the back seat of Officer Vincent’s FPD patrol car on September 10, 2023. Indiana State Police were called to investigate the next day. More information on Zeusz’s death can be found here.

Fairmount police did not release any further information about Zeusz’s death at the time, but confirmed that Vincent’s patrol car was equipped with a temperature alarm. ISP said at the time that Zeusz’s autopsy found no obvious cause of death.

Now Officer Vincent must face criminal consequences related to Zeusz’s death. One level: On June 6, Vincent was charged in Gas City Court with cruelty to a vertebrate.

As of the time of this publication, no further information has been released regarding Vincent’s charges or the reasons for the charges. FOX59/CBS4 has requested a copy of the probable cause affidavit for Vincent’s charges.