A Cherokee County school police officer accused of leaving a police dog in a car and shooting and killing another is now allowed to be around animals, a judge ruled Thursday afternoon. The decision reverses a June 23 ruling saying Peabody couldn't be around animals.
Daniel Peabody, 50, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and making a false statement to investigators after police say he left one police dog for dead in his patrol car and allegedly shot and killed another. He has not been indicted on the charges.
While Peabody can be around animals, he cannot make life and death decisions about them, nor can he have guns at his house, Judge N. Jackson Harris ruled Thursday at a hearing to modify Peabody’s bond.
Peabody is accused of leaving 4-year-old Inca in a patrol car for about three hours, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. The patrol car didn’t belong to the force and wasn’t equipped to carry a police dog.
Peabody resigned from his job following the accusations, but soon afterward police said he shot, killed and buried another police dog named Dale at his house in 2012. Dale was assigned to Peabody from 2007 to 2012.
Cherokee marshals were told Dale died choking on a toy, but an investigation found he was shot. It’s believed the dog’s remains were found at Peabody’s home.
In an unrelated case, Tyler Verlander, Peabody’s wife, was cited for operating a kennel without a permit out of the couple’s home. Investigators do not believe any animals were harmed at the kennel.
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