An Alabama woman was arrested Thursday on animal cruelty charges after allegedly leaving her dog locked in a car for more than 40 minutes in a Carrollton Walmart parking lot, police said.
Heather Nicole Simons, 41, and Grant Olson, who accompanied Simons, told police they “lost track of time” in the store at 1735 South Park Street after discovering that printers were on sale.
A witness noticed the dog, a chihuahua-dachshund mix named Zoey, locked in the car with the windows rolled down a couple of inches and decided to wait to see if the owners were returning quickly, according to the incident report.
After waiting about 30 minutes, another witness, who arrived later, called the police. Police said it was 86 degrees at the time but that it felt like 95. The officer believed it could have been over 100 degrees inside the vehicle, a GMC Terrain.
As the officer was attempting to get into the vehicle using a Lock-out-Kit, Olson arrived carrying a Walmart bag and two printers, police said.
Police placed the dog, who the officer said was “hot to the touch,” in an air-conditioned patrol car as they continued the investigation. After discovering the dog belonged to Simons, police arrested her and took her to the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, according to the incident report.
The officers released the dog, who had recovered in the air conditioning and was in “excellent shape,” to Olson.
Simons was released after one night in jail on a $2,500 bond, according to jail records.
In other news:
About the Author
