Deputy Fired After K-9 Officer Died While in His Care

The handler left the K-9 in the police cruiser for at least 36 hours.

An Oklahoma sheriff's deputy has been fired after his K-9 officer died while in his care.

The Stephens County Sheriff's Office terminated Matthew Peck after an investigation into the dog's death and has turned over the results to the district attorney, NBC affiliate KFOR reported

"We were shocked, and we're saddened," said Stephens County Sheriff Wayne McKinney. "This is a loss of one of our deputies or K-9 deputies."

K-9 Deputy Bak was just 2 years old when he joined the force, but his name will be joining those of four other fallen deputies on a monument outside the Stephens County Courthouse.

Peck has been Bak's partner for four years until sources said he left the dog inside his deputy cruiser during his days off work. Sources said he did not discover the animal until days later when he was back on duty. He smelled the dead animal while on his way to court one morning.

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