A Roanoke police officer is out of a job after admitting in court he neglected his dog.

Jesse Elijah McVicker “is no longer an employee” of the Roanoke Police Department as of March 12, the day after he pleaded guilty to animal cruelty, police spokeswoman Hannah Glasgow said. 

“The actions of this individual do not represent the values of the Roanoke Police Department. We hold our employees to the highest standards of accountability and we are grateful to the Animal Wardens and the Office of Professional Standards for diligently investigating this incident,” read her emailed statement in full.

McVicker had been with the department for nearly 27 months.

Samantha Smith, an assistant commonwealth’s attorney, gave this account:

Authorities received a call in October from McVicker’s neighbor about the care of his dog. An animal warden found the German shepherd tethered inside McVicker’s apartment in southeast Roanoke on a Sunday without food or water and with only enough cord to move a few feet. A urine-tainted blanket was nearby, as were droppings. The neighbor told authorities McVicker had left on the Friday before and had not been back.

The dog scored 2 on a body-composition scale on which 1 means emaciated and 9 means obese.  McVicker’s dog was “too thin,” said Smith. In addition, the animal was dehydrated, according to a veterinarian that placed it on IV overnight, Smith said.

McVicker was charged with depriving a companion animal of necessary food and drink. When the case went to court, McVicker pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. Judge Leisa Ciaffone prohibited McVicker from owning a companion animal for five years. He was fined $500.

The judge sentenced McVicker to a year in jail, but suspended the entire term, meaning he was relieved from responsibility from spending time behind bars. He was placed on a type of probation for one year.

“I think it was just ultimately really, really bad judgment and decision-making on his end,” Smith said.

McVicker's dog, which had been confiscated, went to a shelter, recovered and has a new home, Smith said. 

The 27-year-old McVicker declined to comment.