TRUSSVILLE, AL (WBRC) - A woman who Trussville police say left a dog in a hot car on July 4th has been arrested, Trussville police confirm.
Stephanie Shae Thomas, 34, is in the Jefferson County Jail charged with Aggravated Cruelty to Animals. Thomas has a $25,000 bond.
According to Lt. Phil Dillon with the Trussville Police Department, Thomas parked an automobile in the Walmart parking lot in Trussville around 4 a.m. Wednesday morning.
We're told she left the dog alone in the vehicle at that time.
Authorities were called to the store around 11 a.m. after some folks in the parking lot noticed the dog was in distress.
Employees in the store attempted to page the owner of the vehicle, but she never responded.
Soon after, police say they busted out the window of the vehicle to rescue the dog.
We're told the dog was alive when removed from the vehicle, but sadly she died soon thereafter.
Police are unsure why Thomas was at the store, but she is not a Walmart employee.
There has been a consistent outcry on social media that this is an issue of moral responsibility. Dr. Enrique Carlo of Steel City Emergency Vets encouraged the backlash presented in this tragedy case.
"Be the voice of the voiceless. You're their advocates, They're defenseless on a hot sunny day. They can't escape. It's like an infant in a car," he said.
There was proposed legislation last year that granted civil immunity for those who break into a vehicle to save a suffering animal, but it was tabled indefinitely last May.
"You want to call the police, you want to document the situation with your phone," Dr. Carlo said. "You might have to break into the car and deal with the consequences later. You can't sit by and let an animal suffer. You wouldn't do that to a person."
NOTE: We have chosen not to include the full video in this article. It can be viewed here - WARNING - this video contains footage that may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
Copyright 2018 WBRC. All rights reserved.
TRUSSVILLE, AL (WBRC) - Trussville police say charges will be filed against a woman they say left a dog in a car Wednesday. Sadly, the dog passed soon after she was rescued from the car.
According to Lt. Phil Dillon with the Trussville Police Department, a currently unidentified woman parked an automobile in the Walmart parking lot in Trussville around 4 a.m. Wednesday morning.
We're told the woman left the dog alone in the vehicle at that time.
Authorities were called to the store around 11 a.m. after some folks in the parking lot noticed the dog was in distress.
Employees in the store attempted to page the owner of the vehicle, but she never responded.
Soon after, police say they busted out the window of the vehicle to rescue the dog.
We're told the dog was alive when removed from the vehicle, but sadly she died soon thereafter.
Trussville police say they plan on filing charges against the woman, but we're unsure what specific charges those will be.
Police are unsure why the woman was at the store, but she is not a Walmart employee.
There has been a consistent outcry on social media that this is an issue of moral responsibility. Dr. Enrique Carlo of Steel City Emergency Vets encouraged the backlash presented in this tragedy case.
"Be the voice of the voiceless. You're their advocates, They're defenseless on a hot sunny day. They can't escape. It's like an infant in a car," he said.
There was proposed legislation last year that granted civil immunity for those who break into a vehicle to save a suffering animal, but it was tabled indefinitely last May.
"You want to call the police, you want to document the situation with your phone," Dr. Carlo said. "You might have to break into the car and deal with the consequences later. You can't sit by and let an animal suffer. You wouldn't do that to a person."
NOTE: We have chosen not to include the full video in this article. It can be viewed here - WARNING - this video contains footage that may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
Copyright 2018 WBRC. All rights reserved.
