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LAFAYETTE, La. -- Authorities arrested a Lafayette man Tuesday allegedly at fault in a hit-and-run incident that killed a Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office K-9 deputy and injured its handler.
Lt. Craig Stansbury, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, said Nick Thomas, 39, was arrested on charges of hit-and-run with injury, negligent injury and reckless operation.
Thomas allegedly struck the police dog Hector - a Belgian Melanois - and his handler, who was not identified, after the two finished conducting a building check on Cameron Street on Sunday night.
The handler suffered minor injuries in the incident and was treated and released from a local hospital.
The dog died at the scene.
On Monday, authorities asked for help in locating a black Mercedes seen in the area that night.
Stansbury said a sheriff's deputy spotted a black Mercedes Tuesday morning at the Diamond Lakes apartment complex.
The deputy checked the vehicle and saw physical evidence on the vehicle matched evidence found at the scene of the crime.
Afterward, Stansbury said, authorities arrested Thomas and booked him into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center.
Stansbury said Thomas likely will not face any additional charges for Hector's death because "you would have to prove intent."
"From all the evidence that we have so far it was more like a hit-and-run type of an accident," Stansbury said.
"There was no evidence to prove intent to harm that we can see at this point.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
