Dog locked in hot car Rock Hill, SC (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Jul 13, 2011 County: York
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Margaret Holly Williams
A Rock Hill woman was charged with animal cruelty for leaving her dog in a car while she was in court during one of the hottest days of the year, police say.
Margaret Holly Williams, 46, was in court on an unrelated charge when officers arrested her for animal cruelty, according to a Rock Hill police report.
There was a fire drill around 9 a.m. Wednesday and the Rock Hill Police Department was evacuated.
Once outside, police dispatchers heard a small dog barking inside a car parked near the Black Street law center, the report states.
They spotted the dog in the car and ran the vehicle's tag numbers through the system. The car was registered to Williams.
Officers found Williams in the adjacent courtroom. She was appearing on charges of shoplifting, violation of a child restraint, possession of marijuana and no vehicle registration.
She told officers she left the windows cracked in the car, the report states. It was already more than 80 degrees at 9 a.m. and getting warmer outside.
Williams called someone to come get the dog, and she was escorted to jail. References |