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Sept. 11, 2024Savannah, Mo. |  By: Jeremy Werner

Savannah police officer fired after K9 death charges

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SAVANNAH, Mo. - A Savannah police officer has been fired after being charged with animal abuse in the death of his K-9 partner.

Savannah’s Board of Aldermen voted in a closed session this week to terminate Lt. Daniel Zeigler. According to court documents, Zeigler left Horus in a police vehicle after their shift ended around 5 a.m. on June 20.

The K-9 died from heat exposure later that day. Witnesses reported seeing Zeigler in distress after discovering Horus' death around 13 hours later, and admitting fault to Police Chief Vincent.

An investigation revealed that the AceK9 safeguard system in Zeigler’s vehicle, designed to prevent heat-related incidents, was fully functional but had been manually deactivated.

Zeigler is charged with animal abuse and is set to appear in court on October 8th. Zeigler faces a Class A misdemeanor, which could result in up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $2,000, or both.