Woman accused of leaving dog in hot car for hours | Crime

A woman faces animal cruelty charges after police say she left her dog in a parked car Thursday afternoon for several hours with temperatures above 100 degrees.

Just after 1 p.m. Jonesboro police officer Beth Grant was dispatched to 800 S. Church Street.

Bystanders told Officer Grant that a Jack Russell terrier had been inside a SUV for at least three hours.  They were standing behind the vehicle, preventing the driver from leaving, when Officer Grant arrived at the scene.

The driver, 42-year-old Pamela J. Wood of Cormorant, MS, reportedly said “she had been in the doctor’s office since 10:30 a.m.” but that she had been “checking on the dog about every half hour.”

According to the police report, the temperature was “100 degrees with a heat index of 108 degrees.”

Wood was issued a citation for cruelty to animals and ordered to appear in court on July 30.