Animal cruelty charge dropped against man whose dog died in SUV

Prosecutors have dismissed an animal cruelty charge against a Keller man whose dog died in February after he accidentally left her in his SUV.

Haeger Long has said memory issues caused by a concussion suffered in a serious cycling accident 10 months earlier had caused him to forget his Labrador retriever, Lola, was in the SUV that February afternoon.

The dog was discovered about three hours later after the family returned home from a birthday party.

Animal control, and later Keller police, became involved after Long’s son called 911, requesting an emergency vet. Long took the phone from his son, telling dispatchers not to send anyone as the dog had died and later ordered an animal control officer off his property.

He was arrested in May and charged with a Class A misdemeanor.

In a Star-Telegram article about his case last month, Long accused Keller police, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office and the judicial system of being bullies for prosecuting him for what he called a tragic accident.

Wednesday, the charge against Long was dismissed.

“After reviewing the reports provided by the police department and the documents provided by the defense, and my duties under (the Code of Criminal Procedure), I requested that this case be dismissed under prosecutorial discretion,” Assistant District Attorney Lloyd Whelchel said in an emailed statement Thursday.

Long expressed gratitude Thursday to his recently appointed defense attorney, Brad Clark, for his efforts in getting the charge dismissed.

“I’m glad this nightmare is over,” Long said. “I’m looking forward to getting my life back.”

This story was originally published November 9, 2017 at 11:19 AM with the headline "Animal cruelty charge dropped against man whose dog died in SUV."