Dog dies locked in car
Covington, LA (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Oct 13, 2011
County: Saint Tammany
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Sandra Lynne Richardson
A woman who left a dog locked in the back of a car in downtown Covington was arrested Thursday after the animal died, according to authorities.
Officers booked Sandra Richardson, 44, of the 200 block of Cleveland Avenue in Slidell, with simple cruelty to an animal.
People passing a red 2002 Jeep Liberty parked at the corner of North Columbia and East Boston streets about 11 a.m. noticed a Maltese had been left inside of a closed, portable kennel, Covington Police Capt. Jack West said Friday. The vehicle's windows were cracked open, but the dog's owner had not left it any food or water.
Someone called 911. West said responding police managed to get the animal out while it was barely alive, but it died in the officers' arms as they tried to administer aid to it.
"They were pretty upset about that," West said. "The dog can't dial 911. It can't go to the window and say, 'Someone help me.' It depends on the owner. ... It was not a happy day (Thursday) around (headquarters)."
West added that police found Richardson in a nearby coffee house, where she had apparently "been hanging out" for at least several hours. They jailed her, but she posted $1,000 bond for her release before the day ended, records show.
St. Tammany Parish Animal Services staffers collected the dog's corpse and took it to the agency's facilities near Abita Springs, where it remained Friday, government spokeswoman Suzanne Parsons Stymiest said.
Simple cruelty to an animal carries a fine of up to $1,000 and no more than six months' imprisonment in Louisiana upon conviction. References |
