Men charged after 9 police dogs trainees die from overheating in truck

CROWN POINT, IN — Two men transporting a truckload of dogs from Chicago to a dog training facility in Berrien Center, Michigan, have been charged in connection with the deaths of several of the dogs. According to the Associated Press, the dogs were being transported on a hot day in a box truck that had a “poor cooling system,” causing the dogs to overheat during the trip.

Michael McHenry, 55, and Jessee Urbaszewski, 44, have each been charged with 18 counts of neglect of a vertebrate animal in connection with the incident that resulted in the deaths of nine dogs. According to police, McHenry is the owner and head trainer of FM K9 at Berrien Center, which trains dogs to become police dogs.

The men were transporting the animals on July 27, 2023, from O’Hare International Airport to the FM K9 facility when they stopped for fuel. During the stop, Urbaszewski discovered the dogs were in distress and contacted authorities.

Temperatures on the day of the incident were reported at 90 degrees with the dogs locked inside the truck.

Emergency services and good Samaritans tried to help the dogs, but three of the animals died at the scene and six more had to be put down due to their condition. Jennifer Webber, chief executive of the Hobart SPCA, was one of the people who responded that day and said the dogs were showing signs of heatstroke.

“Our professional opinion from that night was borne out,” Webber said of the charges filed. “We saw that there was negligence.”

According to Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter, each of the defendants could be sentenced to one year in prison and fined up to $5,000. Both men turned themselves in to police on Tuesday and were released from jail after McHenry posted $36,000 cash bail and Urbaszewski posted $18,000 bail.