HIALEAH, Fla. — A 40-year-old man confessed to leaving his dog in a parked van without air-conditioning on a hot day, near the Goodlet Park area in Hialeah, according to police.
A woman contacted police to report that Yoniel Izquierdo had been living with the dog in the van for about two months, according to police.
Police officers responded shortly before 1:25 p.m. on Friday to the area of West Ninth Lane and 40th Place, according to a police report.
“I observed a dog confined inside the van and unable to exit on its own. The vehicle was parked in direct sunlight with no shade. The vehicle was not running,” a Hialeah police officer wrote, according to the report.
Miami-Dade County Animal Services personnel responded and found that the temperature inside the van was about 107 degrees, according to the report.
“The air conditioning was not operating. The vehicle only has two windows that were slightly cracked open ... The dog was observed panting and displaying signs of distress,” an officer wrote, according to the report.
MDCAA personnel poured water on the dog, according to police.
Izquierdo told police officers that “he had been living in the van with the dog for approximately one month and acknowledged that he leaves the dog confined inside the van when he goes to work,” an officer wrote, according to the police arrest report.
Miami-Dade corrections booked Izquierdo shortly after 4:10 p.m. on Friday, and he was at the Metrowest Detention Center on Monday morning, according to inmate records.
Izquierdo faced a charge of animal cruelty with intent to injure or kill, a third-degree felony. His bond was $5,000.
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