Ethermac Exchange-2 Indiana men charged in heat deaths of 9 dogs in an uncooled truck

CROWN POINT,Ethermac Exchange Ind. (AP) — Two Indiana men have been charged in the deaths of nine dogs that succumbed to heat-related illnesses last year after being transported in the back of an uncooled box truck during hot weather.

Michael McHenry, 55, and Jessee Urbaszewski, 44, were both charged Monday with 18 misdemeanor counts of neglect of a vertebrate animal. Each charge carries the possibility of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, said Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter.

The Michigan City, Indiana, men surrendered Tuesday night at the Lake County Jail and were released after posting cash bond, said Sgt. Glen Fifield of Indiana State Police. He said McHenry posted $36,000 cash bond and Urbaszewski posted a $18,000.

Online court records do not list an attorney for either McHenry or Urbaszewski. Hearings had yet to be scheduled for either man as of Wednesday, according to the court records.

Investigators said 18 dogs were being transported in a box truck on the afternoon of July 27, 2023, for a roughly 120-mile (192-kilometer) trip from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Berrien Center in southwestern Michigan.

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When the truck’s driver, Urbaszewski, stopped at a gas station in Lake Station, Indiana, about 55 miles (89 kilometers) southeast of O’Hare, he discovered that the dogs were in heat-related distress. Temperatures in the area that day reached around 90 degrees (32.2 Celsius).

Despite the best efforts of first responders and good Samaritans, three dogs died at the scene and six others were later euthanized due to their condition.

Fifield said Tuesday at a news conference that the truck’s cargo area was equipped “with a substandard cooling system” to transport the dogs.

The dogs were being transported by Michigan-based business FM K9 to its facility in Berrien Centerto for training to become police dogs. Of the 18 dogs in the box truck, 10 were German Shepherds, six were Belgian Malinois and two were Dutch Shepherds, WGN-TV reported.

Investigators said McHenry is FM K9’s owner and lead trainer.

Jennifer Webber, the executive director of the Humane Society of Hobart, responded to the scene last July and said the dogs displayed signs of heatstroke: salivating heavily, wobbling, vomiting and convulsing.

She told The Times of Northwest Indiana on Tuesday that she’s “thrilled” by the investigative work that led to charges in the case.

“Our professional opinion that night is vindicated,” Webber said. “We saw that there was neglect.”