The Maine public safety official responsible for caring for a comfort dog that died in a hot car in May has resigned.
Brodie Hinckley resigned from his position as the director of the Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications earlier this month, the Portland Press Herald reported.
That comes after Hinckley was placed on paid administrative leave in September, when he was charged with animal cruelty in the death of 3-year-old Baxter.
The chocolate Labrador died on May 28 after he was left in a state vehicle outside the Bangor Regional Communications Center. The vehicle stopped running, causing the air conditioning to turn off. The high for the day in Bangor reached 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
Baxter was trained to comfort Maine’s emergency dispatchers.
Baxter started training to join the force in 2022, and worked at the state’s three emergency communication centers to offer support to dispatchers. Baxter was a frequent star on the Facebook page for public safety communications.
Hinckley was scheduled to appear in court on that civil violation on Nov. 6.
