Former correctional officer charged with leaving K-9 in deadly hot car at state prison

Hannah Edelman, Delaware News Journal
·2 min read
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Former Department of Correction officer Darren Wiley has been indicted on three charges, including one felony, for the death of 4-year-old police K-9 Lux, the Delaware Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Lux died of a heat stroke on Sept. 18 after being left unattended in a police car for over four hours, according to court documents.

Wiley was put on administrative leave after reporting Lux's death, and he resigned from the department on Nov. 24 after over 18 years as an officer, the indictment said.

Partners at James T. Vaughn Correction Center

Wiley was certified by the National Police Canine Association as a K-9 handler in 2006. He was assigned Lux, a Belgian Malinois and German shepherd mix, in 2020, and the two worked together at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna.

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The Department of Justice said that footage showed Wiley leaving Lux alone in the car during his shifts for "an extended period of time" every Sunday leading up to Lux's death. A Department of Correction employee also reported that Wiley had left Lux in the car on June 7, when Lux was left unattended outside the prison for eight hours with temperatures hitting a high of 84 degrees.

Temperatures reached 83 degrees when Lux died

When Lux died, the high temperature that day was 83 degrees.

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Department of Correction Commissioner Monroe B. Hudson Jr. called Lux's death "deeply disturbing and unacceptable,” and said the department has done a "comprehensive review" of its K-9 Program.

Wiley was indicted on the felony of first-degree assault against a law enforcement animal and the misdemeanors of cruelty to animals and official misconduct.

Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Former Delaware prison officer charged with death of dog in hot car