LAKE STATION, Ind. — Two Northwest Indiana men are facing several animal cruelty charges after nine dogs died in a box truck last summer.
On the evening of July 27, 2023, authorities responded to the Road Ranger gas station, located in the 2100 block of Ripley Street in Lake Station, and observed numerous dog cages and canines being provided medical aid.
Of 18 total dogs, nine died as a result of high temperatures in the cargo area of a box truck as they were being transported from O’Hare to southwestern Michigan.
Michael McHenry, the owner of the truck and the company FM K9, and Jessee Urbaszewski, the driver, both of Michigan City, are each facing 18 cruelty to an animal charges, all misdemeanors, following an extensive investigation.
At the scene, Urbaszewski said he stopped twice on the way to give the dogs food and water, documents state.
In an interview with police around two weeks later, Urbaszewski told them he did not stop until he heard yelping coming from the back.
McHenry assured detectives that the portable AC unit he used, called IcyBreeze, worked at cooling down the back of the box truck. He told police he runs a K9 training center in Michigan and the dogs came from Europe.
On Sept. 1, officers bought the IcyBreeze unit that the in the box truck.
A week later, the box truck was seized in Michigan and was transferred into the custody of the Indiana State Police.
A “complex” simulation was run on the box truck to determine if the IcyBreeze system worked to cool down the back of the truck, according to court documents.
The following details are results of the simulation, which led to animal cruelty charges.
- IcyBreeze was unable to cool the interior of the box truck to a tolerant temperature.
- The cargo area of the truck never dropped below the outside temperature.
- Nearly two hours into the simulation, the interior of the cargo area, where the dogs were located, reached 89 degrees. State police noted this was with no dogs in the cargo area during the simulation, which would have been higher due to body heat.
- No air vents in or on the box truck to increase airflow throughout the cargo area.
ISP said 50 interviews were conducted as part of the investigation and over 400 pieces of digital evidence was collected.
Of the 18 dogs in the box truck, ten were German Shepherds, six were Belgian Malinois and two were Dutch Shepherds.
McHenry was allowed to take the dogs who did not require medical attention from the scene.
A source told WGN News the pair is expected to turn themselves in to authorities Tuesday afternoon.
McHenry’s bond was set at $36,000 and Urbaszewski’s was set at $18,000.
PETA issued the following statement.
“After terrifying international travel in a cargo hold, these dogs were loaded onto a box truck for another grueling journey in 90-degree heat, during which their organs shut down and they vomited and convulsed in misery. Nothing can undo the terrible suffering and agonizing deaths that these dogs endured, but PETA is thankful to the Indiana State Police and the Lake County prosecutor for considering the blatant disregard and corner-cutting callousness shown by the accused and pursuing some measure of justice on behalf of these dogs.”