COVINGTON, Ga. — A sheriff's deputy likely will return to being a handler after an investigation showed a patrol vehicle’s faulty air conditioner likely allowed heat to build and cause a K9 officer’s death in August.

Sheriff Ezell Brown said Deputy Tremelle Riley was removed from his handler duty following the Aug. 30 incident in which K9 officer Tom-Tom was found dead after the temperature reached 102 degrees inside the vehicle. 

“However, (Riley) has received extensive state and federal training in K9 handling, and because of this, I expect he will be reassigned to the K9 Unit,” Brown said Wednesday in a statement following release of the report. 

“After talking amongst employees and courthouse personnel, including judges and assistant district attorneys, it was determined Deputy Tremelle Riley loved K9 Tom-Tom and would not, under any circumstances, cause intentional harm to the canine,” Brown said.

Riley worked as both the K9 officer’s handler and as part of the sheriff’s office’s courthouse security detail, according to Lt. Michael Cunningham’s investigative report.

Cunningham, an investigator with the agency’s Office of Professional Standards, submitted the report in mid-December.

The incident occurred after Riley left the dog in what he believed to be an air-conditioned vehicle outside the Judge Horace J. Johnson Judicial Center while he worked as a security officer during a Superior Court hearing, the investigative report stated

Cunningham's report stated he was called to the scene of the dog’s death in a parking lot behind the Judicial Center on Usher Street in downtown Covington about 1 p.m. 

He found a white, unmarked 2002 Ford Excursion assigned to Riley and K9 Tom-Tom parked “underneath a tree, which provided minimal shade cover.”

“Inside the vehicle, I observed K9 Tom-Tom, a German shorthaired pointer, laying in the rear cargo area. I did note that Tom-Tom displayed postmortem rigidity, with his limbs stiffened (Rigor mortis). I did not notice any blood or obvious trauma to the exterior of K9 Tom-Tom.”

He said he used an infrared thermometer to find the outside air temperature was 88 degrees and the vehicle’s interior temperature was 102.8 degrees.

The sheriff’s office had used grant funds to purchase Tom-Tom, which was an explosive ordnance detection dog, the report stated. 

Riley told Cunningham he and Tom-Tom had been “previously assigned a Ford Crown Victoria that was properly equipped” but the vehicle’s heat alarm malfunctioned and would continue sounding off. 

“(Riley) stated the sounding of the alarm stressed K9 Tom-Tom; therefore, he was reassigned to another vehicle,” the report stated. 

The depuity said he was frustrated that K9 Tom-Tom was assigned to a 2002 Ford Excursion “which was improperly outfitted with police K9 related equipment.” 

Sheriff’s offices are responsible for courthouse security in most Georgia counties. 

Riley was assigned as both K9 Tom-Tom’s handler and as lead deputy in Superior Court Judge John Ott’s courtroom in the Judicial Center, the report stated. 

Sgt. Ditoria Hammond, who is the supervisor of deputies assigned to the Judicial Center, told Cunningham that Riley usually left Tom-Tom at his residence on the days Ott had a heavy trial calendar.

“However, on the days the calendar isn’t busy, he brings K9 Tom-Tom to work. 

“When there is a break in the courtroom, Deputy Riley would return to the vehicle and attend to K9 Tom-Tom. (Hammond) said on this day, however, the court didn’t break until the afternoon,” Cunningham reported.

Riley told Cunningham he and Tom-Tom began the day Aug. 30 between 7:45 a.m. and 8 a.m. doing a security sweep of the building.

The report stated Riley placed Tom-Tom in the back cargo area of his patrol vehicle before assuming his duties in Ott’s courtroom at 8:45 a.m.

Riley returned about 10:30 a.m. and allowed Tom-Tom to exit the kennel in the rear of the Excursion for a bathroom break. He then placed the K9 officer back in the kennel in the rear of the vehicle with its air conditioning running and returned to helping provide security for Ott’s courtroom.

“(Riley) explained that prior to leaving K9 Tom-Tom in the vehicle, he checked to ensure the vehicle’s air conditioner was functioning properly. He also ensured K9 Tom-Tom had ample water for drinking.”

At around 12:20 p.m., Riley returned to the vehicle in the Judicial Center’s rear parking lot after not checking on Tom-Tom for 110 minutes, the report stated.

“He said his intentions were to allow Tom-Tom to use the restroom and get needed exercise by walking him around the exterior of the courthouse’s campus. 

“He said as he approached the vehicle, he noticed K9 Tom-Tom wasn’t barking or moving about the kennel as he usually does. He then rushed to open the vehicle’s doors and found K9 Tom-Tom unresponsive.”

Riley said when he opened the vehicle’s door, he noticed that the vehicle was slightly warmer than usual, the report stated. 

“He stated the vehicle’s air conditioning was blowing but was not as cool as normal. 

“Deputy Riley removed K9 Tom-Tom from the kennel, placed him on the ground (solid surface), and began life saving maneuvers. While giving rescue breaths, chest compressions, and pouring water on K9 Tom-Tom, he noticed that rigor mortis had set in on K9 Tom-Tom.”

Rigor mortis is a term that refers to a stiffening of joints and muscles shortly after death.

Riley then radioed for Hammond, who rushed to the scene to find Tom-Tom dead. 

“Sgt. Hammond explained that Deputy Riley and his family built an everlasting bond with K9 Tom-Tom over the past two years,” Cunningham reported. 

“She said he was very attentive to the needs of K9 Tom-Tom and takes very good care of him.”

Cunningham said he concluded that K9 Tom-Tom’s death “was totally unintentional.”

He said a necropsy report submitted by Dr. Doris Miller of Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories at the University of Georgia concluded Tom-Tom likely died of heatstroke — which could occur within 15 minutes of heat exposure in dogs, Cunningham said.

“On the date of K9 Tom-Tom’s demise, Deputy Riley checked the vehicle’s air condition system to ensure that it was functioning properly. He confirmed that K9 Tom-Tom had an ample measure of water to sufficiently sustain him under the circumstances. K9 Tom-Tom was accommodated in a 4-feet by 3-feet metal enclosure.”

He recommended some steps be taken “to ensure a recurrence of this nature will not occur in the future,” including all K9 handlers be required to check on the animals at least hourly while on duty.

Brown said Wednesday, Feb. 2, that the K9 Unit “has been assigned a new, fully-equipped patrol vehicle that will ensure another incident of this nature will not reoccur.”

This vehicle is equipped with a sophisticated heat-alert system that notifies the canine handler if and when the vehicle’s interior temperature ascends to a perilous temperature. 

“Most, if not all canine units, have received new vehicles or will be receiving new vehicles in an effort to prevent another incident of this nature from reoccurring,” Brown said. 

“Additionally, we are instituting more policies, including a policy that will require canine handlers to conduct periodic safety assessments during their respective tours of duty and not rely on the functionality of their patrol vehicles.

“We regret this incident happened; most importantly, we regret the trauma the death of K9 Tom-Tom caused to the Riley family,” Brown said. 

“K9 Tom-Tom was directly involved in their daily lives, and I hope and pray that the loss of K9 Tom-Tom will not have an everlasting effect on the their family.”

SHERIFF EZELL BROWN’S STATEMENT:

The death of K9 Tom-Tom greatly impacted our agency. He was loved and cherished by those he worked alongside at the courthouse — including judges, court personnel, and visitors — and throughout the state and nation. His death was an unfortunate and unintentional incident. 

After talking amongst employees and courthouse personnel, including judges and ADAs, it was determined Deputy Tremelle Riley loved K9 Tom-Tom and would not, under any circumstances, cause intentional harm to the canine. He and his family continue to mourn the loss of their beloved pet. As a dog lover myself, I have experienced firsthand how the loss of a pet impacts a family. I lost my first dog at the age of seven. Having come from a large family, I grew up with numerous pets, including dogs, and even to this day, I, along with my children, own a dog. Pets are part of the family, and when they cross the rainbow bridge, they take a part of you with them.

Deputy Riley has not been assigned to the K9 Unit since the incident. However, he has received extensive state and federal training in K9 handling, and because of this, I expect he will be reassigned to the K9 Unit. The K9 Unit has been assigned a new, fully-equipped patrol vehicle that will ensure another incident of this nature will not reoccur. Most, if not all canine units, have received new vehicles or will be receiving new vehicles in an effort to prevent another incident of this nature from reoccurring. Additionally, we are instituting more policies, including a policy that will require canine handlers to conduct periodic safety assessments during their respective tours of duty and not rely on the functionality of their patrol vehicles.

We regret this incident happened; most importantly, we regret the trauma the death of K9 Tom-Tom caused to the Riley family. K9 Tom-Tom was directly involved in their daily lives, and I hope and pray that the loss of K9 Tom-Tom will not have an everlasting effect on the their family.