OWNER CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY AFTER DOG DIES IN HOT CAR

By Miriam Raftery

June 22, 2015 (El Cajon ) – A woman who left her dog in a hot car for five hours at the El Cajon courthouse on June 19^th  has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty.

After a citizen reported that the dog was in distress at 1:10 p.m., Sheriff’s deputies found the doors locked and windows rolled up within five minutes of the citizens' report. They called El Cajon Police, who sent officers within minutes. Deputies tried to rescue the pit bull terrier by breaking a window,of the vehicle, a silver VW Jetta, but discovered the dog had died.

Officers determined that the temperature in the vehicle was approximately 135 degrees while the outside temperature was 95 degrees, said Lieutenant Walt Miller.  The officers learned that the owner had left the dog unattended in the vehicle for approximately five hours. The dog is believed to have died of excessive heat exposure, though a necropsy will be performed to confirm the cause of death.

Deputies found and arrested the dog’s owner, 46-year-old Victoria Williams of Brawley, who had been in court. She has been booked into the San Diego County Jail Women’s Detention Facility.

The owner of the dog, 46 year-old Victoria Williams of Brawley California was booked into the San Diego County Jail Women’s Detention Facility.

Pets, children or senior citizens should never be left alone in a hot car, even for a few minutes, since temperatures inside a vehicle climb rapidly and death from excessive heat can occur swiftly.