GLOUCESTER COUNTY, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the untimely death of a first-responder K-9.
K-9 Ember was assigned to Gloucester County Fire Marshal Shawn Layton. She died last Friday, but the incident was not reported until Monday. A week after the dog’s death, there is still no official explanation, and some county commissioners want answers.
Commissioner Chris Konawel, a Republican, says county Democrats aren’t telling him anything.
“We’ve been asking questions, and we really aren’t getting any answers from anyone, other than the prosecutor, who told us it’s under investigation,” Konawel said.
County sources say the death appears to have been the result of an accident involving two dogs left in a hot car.
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“What I do know is, on Monday, my office received an anonymous phone call from somebody informing us that an incident had occurred Friday with a K-9 as well as a personal dog,” Konawel said.
He says politics is getting in the way of transparency. Konawel said he was told at a commissioners meeting this week that no one is required to answer his questions.
Konawel says he believes an apparent close relationship between Layton and County Administrator Chad Bruner might be leading to some secrecy on the matter.
Public records show Bruner and Layton share an address in Mantua.
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“I don’t know why they share the same address. I don’t know the relationship between them,” Konawel said. “I’m not implying a relationship between them other than they do seem to have the same address on paper. It is concerning.”
The John "Sonny" Burke Police K-9 Academy donated Ember at age 11 months to the county in 2020, according to a post on the Gloucester County Facebook page. Ember was trained to detect evidence of arson at fire scenes.
KYW Newsradio has reached out to Bruner, Layton and Commissioner Director Frank DiMarco for comment, but there has been no response.
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