INDIANAPOLIS — Officers have arrested two individuals after they left multiple animals in a hot car, leaving one dog dead and the others begging for help and attempting to claw their way out.
Charles E. Thomas, 53, was charged with animal cruelty, killing a domestic animal, a Level 6 Felony. Norma J. Light, 74, was charged with animal cruelty, a misdemeanor.
"We can't leave children in the backseat. We can't leave dogs in the backseat. It's way too hot even just for a couple of minutes," said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer Amanda Hivschman. "We want to remind residents that city ordinance states that you need to bring your animals inside when it's over 90 degrees outside or when there's a heat advisory in effect."
IMPD was dispatched on Thursday to Intown Suites Hotel at W 85th St. on a report of a dog being left in a Chevrolet. Upon arrival, the hotel manager directed the officer to the north side of the building, where the suspected vehicle was parked.
According to court documents, the vehicle's owner, Thomas, walked up to the car at this time. He told police that one of the dogs inside of his car was dead. Investigators then found a German Shepherd panting in the backseat of the car with no engine running.
Crews continued to speak to witnesses on the scene, with one woman stating that she saw Thomas's Chevrolet with a dog inside, the windows cracked, and the engine turned off. The witness was worried about the black and brown Pitbull with its nose to the crack of the window, whimpering for air. She showed officers that the dog was chained to the floor of the car and that there were claw marks on the window from the dog attempting to escape.
When returning to the hotel, the woman claims she saw Thomas and told him the dogs would die in the heat, but he reportedly called her "a stupid b****."
As the investigation continued, officers learned from the hotel manager that witnesses were alerted that animals were in the vehicle because the German Shepherd was honking the horn from inside.
After being questioned, Thomas claimed that the engine was running the entire time with air conditioning. Light, staying at the hotel with Thomas, told police that two dogs and one cat were left in the vehicle because the hotel was not pet-friendly. Light also said that she never left the hotel room to check on the animals, only to smoke a cigarette.
An animal control operator arrived on the scene for the deceased Pitbull, identified as Masus. The German Shepherd and cat survived. They were taken into an air-conditioned animal control vehicle and given water.
"It’s horrible because its so preventable, you know? You just have to have some empathy for these dogs that they are suffering as much if not more than we are in this heat. Think about having a fur coat," said Darcie Kurtz, executive director of the Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside.
"The signs of heat stroke, they are panting like crazy then they become confused, disoriented, uncoordinated, they are frantic to get out. It’s a horrible feeling then they collapse and ultimately they can die of heatstroke. It’s a horrible death," said Kurtz.
The vehicle was towed after officers observed it with the engine off, the air-conditioning off, and a quarter tank of gas. The rescue team did not locate any water inside the vehicle. The animals were left in the car for three hours with a temperature of 90 degrees, according to official weather reports from IMPD.
Thomas and Light were transported to the Marion County Jail.