A 27-year-old man is facing charges after police say he locked his dog in a hot car at the Williamsburg Premium Outlets on Aug. 5.
According to James City County Police spokeswoman Stephanie Williams, the dog had been left inside a black Ford pickup truck located in the area’s bus parking lot. Police found the animal after being alerted by an outlets employee.
When police arrived, they found 9-year-old border collie hound mix that “appeared to be distressed” inside the vehicle. The windows had not been left open and there was no food or water inside the truck, Williams said.
Police believe the dog had been in the vehicle for at least 30 minutes. A temperature taken outside the truck marked 90 degrees, but equipment was not available to take the temperature inside the vehicle, Williams said.
While police were using an “unlocking tool” to get into the truck and remove the dog, the owner, Cameron Lee Southworth of Bowling Green, Va., came out to the vehicle, Williams said.
Southworth was charged with a misdemeanor count of failure to provide adequate care to a companion animal. He was released on summons and the dog stayed with its owner, Williams said.
Southworth is scheduled to appear at the Williamsburg/James City County District Court at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 16.
