Died – 6/8/16
Handler – Officer Cummings
Officer resigns in death of K9 partner
The Richland Parish Sheriff has concluded his investigation into the death of the department’s K-9 Officer Duke. The report will be submitted to the District Attorney’s office this week for their review. Cummings maintains that his initial report and statement is the facts regarding the Death of K9 Dy. Duke. This morning, Wednesday, June 8th at approximately 10am Cummings submitted his letter of resignation. I accepted his resignation in lieu of termination. Termination was pending due to other actions surrounding the investigation and policy violations discovered during the investigation. Sheriff Lee Harrell tells us the K-9 died Wednesday morning after being found in a deputy’s car Tuesday evening. He says the dog died of heat exposure.Duke had been assigned to Dy. Cummings for approximately seven months. Duke had been a member of Richland Parish Sheriff’s Office since December 2014.