Dog locked in hot car - Chandler, AZ

Friday, Aug 15, 2008

County: Maricopa

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Eugene Scott

On the same day that one of their own was acquitted of an animal cruelty charge involving the heat-related death of his K-9, Chandler police arrested a Phoenix man in a similar case.

Police are recommending that 27-year-old Eugene Scott be charged with one count of cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor, after his dog, Brother, was found panting and dehydrated Friday inside a hot vehicle parked at Chandler Fashion Center, a police report says.

While Chandler police did not believe that their sergeant, Tom Lovejoy, committed a crime when he forgot his dog for almost 13 hours inside a patrol vehicle, they say Scott's case was criminal because it was intentional.

"He knows that he left the dog in there and he knew that the dog was in there and took the risk of harm being done to the dog anyway," said Chandler police spokesman Sgt. Rick Griner. "That's reckless."

According to the police report, Scott is suspected of leaving his 1-year-old Puggle - a pug/beagle mix - inside his Ford Explorer with the two front windows partially down for at least 35 minutes while he went inside the mall to get something to eat about 3:15 p.m. Friday.

A flight attendant who was parked nearby heard the dog barking in the car and called police.

When police arrived to the parking lot, they found that Brother was suffering from mild heat exhaustion and took him to an animal hospital, where he received fluid through an IV.

"I asked Mr. Scott why he had left the dog inside the vehicle," the police report says. "Mr. Scott stated he was hungry and had to run into the mall to get something to eat. He further related he left the dog in the vehicle because he obviously couldn't take it into the mall."

Scott told police he didn't know how long he was in the mall and didn't realize how hot it was outside.

The police report says that the National Weather Service reported a high of 100 degrees in Chandler on Friday.

The police report says that Scott was seen on surveillance browsing at Dillard's, and the flight attendant told police that she saw him carrying a cinnamon bun.

Scott declined to comment when reached by the Tribune.

Griner said Brother was returned to Scott after receiving medical treatment. Police gave Scott the after-care instructions from the veterinarian

References

• « AZ State Animal Cruelty Map
  « More cases in Maricopa County, AZ

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