South Florida woman arrested after leaving dog chained inside car for hours

Police say Beatrice Turner also kept rabbit in sealed box inside car

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. ā€“ A South Florida woman was arrested Tuesday after she left a dog chained inside her car outside a hotel for hours, police said.

Beatrice Turner, 21, faces two counts of animal cruelty.

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Boynton Beach police said a dog was found chained by the neck inside a white Chevrolet Cruze in the parking lot of the Inn at Boynton Beach. Ā 

According to an arrest report, a guest called police after he noticed a puppy locked inside the car with the windows rolled all the way up. He said the dog was in distress and "begging" to get out, panting and breathing heavily.

The guest said he tried to open the car doors, but they were all locked. Police said the dog appeared to be moving around "sluggishly," and there was no food or water inside the car.

Police said an officer smashed the rear window to the car to get the dog out. "Officers and witnesses provided aid and water to the dog, who was extremely thirsty," the report said.

Officers heard noises coming from inside the car and found a rabbit inside a sealed box, the report said.

Police determined that the car belonged to Turner, who met with officers in the lobby of the hotel.

Turner told police that "the dog is fine being in the car" and she didn't believe the dog was in danger, the report said. Police said Turner expressed no concerns about keeping the animals inside the car for more than two hours.

She remained in a Palm Beach County jail Wednesday morning on a $4,000 bond.


About the Author:

Peter Burke returned for a second stint of duty at Local 10 News in February 2014.