Handler charged in death of Maine comfort dog Baxter resigns from his state job
By Russ Reed
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BANGOR, Maine (WMTW) — The Maine Department of Public Safety has confirmed the state’s emergency communications director has resigned after he was charged in connection with the death of a comfort dog.
Brodie Hinckley, who was on paid administrative leave, resigned as director of the Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications effective Oct. 3, according to a DPS spokesperson.
Hinckley also served as the handler of Baxter, a 3-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever who was Maine’s first official comfort dog.
Baxter was found dead on May 28 inside a state vehicle, which was parked at the Bangor Regional Communications Center.
At the time of Baxter’s death, DPS officials said the vehicle the dog was in unexpectedly stopped running, which caused its air conditioning system to shut down. The National Weather Service said Bangor reached a high temperature of 83 degrees on May 28.
Last month, the Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office charged Hinckley with a civil violation of animal cruelty.
District Attorney Christopher Almy said Baxter was inside the building with Hinckley at the start of the day, but got moved to the vehicle after making a mess inside.
“The dog itself had caused a little problem inside the building. It had defecated, urinated and whatnot. So, he took the dog out to the car and put it in the car while he was working inside the building,” Almy said.
Almy said evidence shows that Baxter was left in the car for around 4 hours. The car was initially left on, but the battery ran low, causing the air conditioning to turn off.
In Maine, animal cruelty can either be a criminal offense or a civil violation. Punishment for the civil violation includes fines and potentially barring the person from owning an animal.
“I think the evidence would show that this particular handler had some knowledge of how long a dog should be in a vehicle and under what conditions,” Almy said. “He had a lot of feelings for the dog, and he was quite remorseful. So, balancing those two things, that’s why we came to the conclusion that a civil charge was appropriate.”
Hinckley is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 6.
State officials said the vehicle Baxter died in was regularly used to transport the dog. Following Baxter’s death, the vehicle went through a thorough inspection to identify potential malfunctions.
Baxter joined the Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications in 2022 and offered emotional support to emergency telecommunicators at the state’s three regional dispatch centers.
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