The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office determined this week that no charges will be filed against a Bonfield Elementary School employee who accidentally left a school facility dog in her vehicle for hours, resulting in its death.

A family member had placed the dog, a Bernedoodle named Callie, into the cargo area of the handler’s car before she left home the morning of June 11. During the course of the police investigation it was determined that Callie’s handler forgot that the dog had been placed in the car and proceeded to work at the school as normal. 

“Though we acknowledge that this incident was tragic and upsetting, the cruelty to animal statute criminalizes abuse of an animal when it is intentional, knowing, or reckless,” District Attorney Heather Adams said. “In this case, there were no facts uncovered during the investigation that would lead to the conclusion that Callie’s handler deliberately left her in the car when she entered the school prepared for a full day’s work. Rather, she entered the school without Callie and forgot that she was still in the vehicle.”

In her interviews with police Callie’s handler was extremely remorseful and indicated that she did not recall leaving Callie in the car and in fact called for her at the end of the day when she was prepared to leave. She then began to panic and called home to see if she had forgotten to take her to school.  

A person cannot be said to act “knowingly” under the law when they are unaware that their conduct will cause abuse. Here, the handler was not aware that Callie was left in the car unattended.

“Likewise, having forgotten that Callie was in the vehicle, her handler did not consciously disregard the risk of leaving a dog alone in a hot car, which is required to prove that she acted recklessly,” Adams said. 

To be found guilty of such a crime, a person would have to acknowledge the risk of leaving a dog in a hot car and then disregard that risk by abandoning the animal anyway.

“We review all investigations closely and apply the law according to the facts and circumstances of each case,” Adams said. “While Callie’s death is tragic, the facts do not justify filing criminal charges. The law simply does not punish forgetting.”

Once at the school, Callie’s handler was engaged in a full-day meeting and also responded to a flood in the campus library and had no reason to return to her vehicle. 

It was only at the end of the day that Callie’s handler called home and asked if the dog was there that she checked her vehicle and realized she had been left inside. Callie’s handler found the dog deceased on the passenger-side floorboard. 

Warwick School District Superintendent Jason Reifsnyder reported Callie’s death to Lititz Borough police, who conducted a thorough investigation. That investigation was then reviewed by the District Attorney’s Office, who determined that the handler’s actions did not rise to criminal behavior.