UMC employee charged after dog dies in extreme heat

A University Medical Center employee has been arrested after a dog was found dead from apparent heat exposure in a southeast Las Vegas backyard, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Around 2 p.m. Saturday, Clark County Animal Protection Services responded to a home in the 6800 block of Frances Celia Avenue and requested assistance from police after finding a deceased dog, police said in a news release.

Animal cruelty detectives determined the dog had been left in a crate outside for several hours in extreme heat. The dog’s owner, Olivia Underwood, 30, was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center for willful and malicious torture, maiming or killing of a dog, police said.

Online court records show that Underwood posted bail and was released from custody. She is due back in court in July.

According to the Nevada State Board of Nursing, Underwood has been registered as a certified nursing assistant since 2013.

A UMC spokesperson confirmed that Underwood was employed with the hospital.

Las Vegas hit 105 degrees on Friday, according to the National Weather Service — the agency released a statement warning residents not to leave pets unattended outdoors.