A New Orleans police sergeant will have to wait until next week for a verdict after spending all day on trial Friday for malfeasance in the death of his police dog.

A Criminal Court judge scheduled closing arguments for next Friday after a full day of testimony.

Prosecutors tried to prove that Sgt. Randy Lewis lied about a private detail at Charity Hospital in which his dog, Phantom, plunged 17 stories to his death at the bottom of an elevator shaft.

Phantom was taking part in the private security sweep of the shuttered hospital in May 2009 when he broke free from Lewis in the darkened high-rise and fell down the elevator shaft.

The prosecution presented witnesses who said Lewis covered up the fact that canines would be used in the off-duty detail, concocting a story afterward that the dogs were taking part in a training exercise.

A Deputy Chief with the NOPD testified that the department would never have given permission to use police dogs for that purpose.

The defense countered with witnesses who Lewis had permission from his superiors to use the canine, suggesting it would be a "good training area."