KEY LARGO, FLa. — A 20-year-old woman from Miami-Dade County was arrested Thursday after authorities said she left a dog inside a hot SUV without food or water in Key Largo.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to an animal cruelty complaint just after 6 p.m. on Transylvania Avenue, where they found what appeared to be a small dachshund locked inside a Nissan SUV.
Investigators said the vehicle was not running, and the dog was “barking, panting heavily and appeared to be in distress.”
Deputies said they used a “vehicle-lock tool” to gain entry after determining the temperature inside the SUV appeared to exceed 100 degrees.
They said the dog was given water and moved into an air-conditioned environment. Witnesses told deputies the dog may have been left inside the vehicle for an hour or longer, according to MCSO officials.
Authorities identified the suspect as Iyahna Michelle Leon-Yancy.
According to investigators, Leon-Yancy told deputies that she “forgot the dog was inside the vehicle.”
Deputies said officials with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were notified and took custody of the dog.
Jail records show Leon-Yancy is facing one misdemeanor count of confining an animal without sufficient food or water.
Her bond amount wasn’t immediately released.
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