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Chandler officer, whose dog died, heads to trial

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CHANDLER — A Chandler police officer was acquitted in the death of his police dog, who was left in a patrol car for 13 hours last summer.

Sgt. Tom Lovejoy was charged with a count of animal cruelty and could have been jailed for up to six months if he had been convicted of the misdemeanor.

Justice of the Peace Sam Goodman decided Lovejoy's fate Friday in the one-day bench trial at San Tan Justice Court.

Goodman said Lovejoy was negligent but state prosecutors failed to prove the charge of recklessness.

Lovejoy testified that on the morning of Aug. 11, 2007, after working an overnight off-duty shift, he parked his police vehicle in the driveway of his house and went inside.

He said he was exhausted and forgot the dog was sleeping in the back of the sport utility vehicle.

Chandler police considered the case an accident and did not conduct a criminal investigation. However, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office arrested Lovejoy after an investigation, and he was subsequently charged.