The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested a Covington-area woman after she left her dog inside her hot car Friday (Sept. 4) morning.
Shortly after 11:15 a.m. Friday, a shopper called 911 to report a dog had been left in a hot car in the parking lot of a Covington-area shopping center. The shopper told the responding deputy she had waited by the car for more than 20 minutes before calling authorities.
The deputy was able to retrieve the dog, which was lethargic and panting heavily, from the unlocked car and contacted St. Tammany Parish Animal Services. A temperature check with a laser thermometer indicated the internal temperature of the vehicle was 115 degrees.
Animal Services took possession of the dog and will provide it with the necessary medical care.
Upon exiting the store, the dog’s owner, Ana Perez (DOB 5/28/2002) was arrested. She was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail on one count of L.R.S. 14:102.1 Aggravated Animal Cruelty (felony).
“Leaving a dog in a hot car is like leaving a dog in an oven,” Sheriff Randy Smith said. “I am thankful this individual called and likely saved this dog’s life.”
*Booking photo not yet available. Booking photo can be obtained via the inmate roster on our website, www.stpso.com, when available.