From The News Tribune:

Sgt. Larry Whelan was summoned to the 600 block of 1st Street for a welfare check after it was reported the sick man’s dog was running loose and a neighbor spotted the blood. Bill Johnston, the 72-year-old homeowner who Whelan knew, had cancer. He was lying inside near the door in filth with an apparent stomach tumor but reportedly able to talk with Whelan.

Whelan, a 33-year veteran of the town’s dozen-member Department of Public Safety, was fired in February for his actions in the aftermath of the Aug. 19 welfare check, according to investigative records obtained by The News Tribune. The records detailed the circumstances that led to the veteran sergeant coming under scrutiny.

The gestures Whelan said were intended as acts of goodwill were red flags to some within his own department, records show. The transfer of firearms particularly raised concerns, three members told Thomas. They found it problematic that Whelan hadn’t authored a report, documented any gun serial numbers or taken the firearms into the station.