Judge rules handler of state comfort dog ‘Baxter’ not liable in dog’s death

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - The handler of Maine’s first state comfort dog who died in a hot car last year has been found not liable for a civil animal cruelty charge.

Former state director of emergency communications Brodie Hinckley was scheduled for a docket hearing in Bangor Friday morning.

After roughly six hours of testimony, a judge ruled in Hinckley’s favor.

The dog, a chocolate lab named Baxter, was paired with the Maine Department of Public Safety when he was a puppy in 2022 to provide comfort to workers at Maine emergency call centers.

Baxter died in a state vehicle at the Bangor Regional Communications Center in May 2025 on a day where the temperature reached 83 degrees. According to the National Weather Service, that air temp can result in a car’s interior reaching about 125 degrees in just an hour.

In issuing the ruling, Judge Bruce Mallonee of Penobscot County cited a lack of intent on Hinckley’s part and offered an apology to him from the bench for the intense online harassment and death threats he and his family endured following the incident.

Defense Argues Absence of Negligence

Baxter died after spending four hours inside Hinckley’s vehicle. In emotional testimony, Hinckley stated he brought Baxter to the car for a nap because the dog’s crate served as his safe space. Hinckley testified that he felt the air conditioning vents blowing cold air before walking away, calling Baxter’s subsequent death the single worst moment of his life.

Defense attorney Walter McKee argued that the incident did not meet the legal threshold for criminal negligence.

“Brodie didn’t act with any intent of course at all, and our whole position was that this wasn’t even really negligent at all in the first place,” McKee said. “He really checked before he left the dog in there. If the air conditioning had not been on, he never would’ve left the dog in there. He would’ve double-checked or would’ve brought the dog back in.”

State Points to Missing Safety Precautions

Prosecutors argued that Hinckley failed to implement critical safeguards standard in law enforcement K-9 handling, emphasizing that no backup measures were in place to protect the animal.

State representatives pointed out that the windows were left up and the vehicle lacked a remote heat-alarm or monitoring system that could have alerted Hinckley once interior temperatures reached dangerous levels.

“That is something that our law enforcement is very responsible about in this state, which is a part of the reason why charges went forward,” said Chelsea Lynds, Deputy District Attorney for Penobscot County.

Several witnesses testified during the proceedings, including a Maine State Police lieutenant who responded to the scene, a mechanic, an operations manager from the dispatch facility, and a former State of Maine animal welfare agent.

Hinckley was issued a summons for a civil violation of animal cruelty in fall 2025.

He resigned one month later.