‘This was a failure all the way around': Oklahoma County DA will not file charges for death of Cleveland County K-9 officer
The investigation began back in September 2024 when K-9 Dolar was found dead inside a Cleveland County deputy's car. Dolar's assigned handler was reportedly attending a training session at the time of the dog's death.
Shortly after the incident, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office requested an investigation from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
Cleveland County Sheriff Chris Amason told News 4 that he reached out to OSBI to determine if Dolar's death was due to possible criminal negligence.
OSBI then handed their findings off to Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna in October 2024 to decide if charges should be filed, since Dolar's death occurred in Oklahoma County's jurisdiction.
Now after over seven months, Behenna has determined Dolar's death was not criminal in nature and will not file charges, despite OSBI findings that show the vehicle assigned to Dolar's handler was not properly equipped as a K-9 unit.
'This was a failure all the way around,' Behenna said. 'The vehicle assigned to Dolar's handler was not set up as a canine unit. It did not have a built-in kennel or a heat alarm system. The vehicle that was properly equipped as a K-9 unit was removed from Dolar's handler a month prior to Dolar's death. That vehicle was used as a pool car when another handler's vehicle was being repaired. These were all contributing factors that led to Dolar's death.'
According to the Oklahoma County DA's Office, Oklahoma Drug Dog Standards and Guidelines #12 state vehicles used to transport a police dog should be equipped with a heat sensor monitoring system.
Oklahoma-Drug-Dog-Standards-and-Guidelines2024Download
Additionally, the OSBI investigation revealed that the car assigned to Dolar's handler had known air conditioning issues and would stop blowing cold air when the car was idle.
'The unfortunate death of Dolar could have been prevented with the issuance of properequipment to the deputy,' Behenna said. 'I hope moving forward that all ClevelandCounty Sheriff's Office K-9 handlers are provided the appropriate vehicle and equipmentto keep the K-9 Officers safe and avoid another death like Dolar's.'
This is a developing story.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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