Woman accused of leaving 4 dogs to die in car in Florida
Woman accused of leaving 4 dogs to die in car in Florida
Tesia White stood before a Volusia County judge, sobbing as he read charges including four counts of felony cruelty to animals. New Smyrna Beach police officers said the 25-year-old White, who is visiting Florida from Missouri, left four dogs in her car while she and her boyfriend ate at a restaurant. The dogs later died.
LAKE MARY, Fla. - A woman is facing felony animal cruelty charges after she left her four dogs inside a hot vehicle in Florida while she went to lunch at a nearby restaurant, according to Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
Tesia White, 25, of Gainesville, Missouri, was arrested on Thursday afternoon in New Smyrna Beach, which is northeast of Orlando.
A 4-year-old Golendoodle, 2-year-old Boxer, and two 12-week-old Goldendoodle puppies were in the vehicle and died, according to police records.
White and another person told 911 dispatch and deputies that they left the dogs in the vehicle with the air conditioning on, but it appears that it somehow turned off.
The woman told deputies that she checked on the dogs once while at the restaurant, but found them all unconscious when she checked on them again after the meal, roughly an hour later, documents state.
"We have four dogs on the side that were – they accidentally turned the air conditioning off in the car, and they were trapped in a hot car, and now they're all laying on the side, and none of them are moving, and they're all like foaming from the mouth," an emotional person said in the initial 911 call.
"We leave them in the car all the time with it running and the AC on, but they just absolutely turned it off, this time," he said.
At the time, the outside temperature was 85 degrees. With no A/C, the inside of the vehicle could quickly reach 130 degrees, according to American Veterinary Association.
In the documents, officers noted that White was emotional and remorseful. The person who was with her was not arrested as he did not own any of the dogs, but was considering buying one, the report said.
"You could hear her scream," said Ammie Ryan, who works next door. "She found them. People were running, trying to give them mouth-to-mouth, trying to give them water. It was very clearly way too late."
Authorites noted that there was liquid underneath the car, implying that it was running for a time.
The woman was booked into jail on a $10,000 bond. She was ordered by a judge not to own any animals as the case moves forward.
Clarification: Story has been further updated to show that White is reportedly from Gainesville, Missouri, not Gainesville, Florida.