LAKE STATION, Ind. — PETA has asked the mayor of Lake Station and its city council to recuse its own police department in an investigation related to several police K9s dying in a box truck.
On July 27, a driver carrying the German Shepherds from O’Hare stopped at Road Ranger gas station on Ripley Street to get the dogs out of their crates after hearing them bark.
Lake Station police said the AC unit in the back of the box truck failed and the driver became stuck in a two-hour traffic delay.
There were 18 German Shepherds traveling in the truck and eight of them died.
The executive director of the Hobart Humane Society, Jennifer Webber, was among the first on the scene and claims several municipal codes were broken.
The driver was allowed to leave with the remaining dogs who were not hospitalized as residents looked on.
On Wednesday, PETA sent a letter to Lake Station Mayor Bill Carroll and the city’s council urging Carroll to recuse police department in the investigation.
The Humane Society of Hobart announced they have been granted a meeting with city officials this week. Additionally, with the city’s blessing, a vigil will be held at Riverview Park on Thursday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
WGN News reached out to Lake Station police for a statement and have not heard back at this time.
