Alabama woman charged in death of dog left in hot car at Walmart

The Associated Press

6 years ago

Stephanie Shae Thomas of Trussville, Ala., is shown in a booking photograph taken July 5, 2018, by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. Thomas, 34, was charged with felony animal cruelty after her dog died while locked inside a hot car parked outside a Walmart store. (AP Photo/Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department)

TRUSSVILLE, Ala. — An Alabama woman who police say left a dog in a hot car for as long as seven hours was charged with felony animal cruelty, police said Friday.

Stephanie Shae Thomas, 34, of Trussville was released on $25,000 bond early Friday after spending a few hours in custody, Jefferson County jail records showed.

Police had to break a window to get to the dog, which had been left in the car outside a Walmart in Trussville on July 4. Video shot by a bystander showed officers unsuccessfully trying to revive the animal.

Court records weren’t available to show whether Thomas had a lawyer who could speak on her behalf.

Lt. Phil Dillon told news outlets Thomas went to the Trussville Police Department the day after the dog died and told officers she left the dog in her vehicle while she went inside to shop.

“She stated that she never went outside the store to check on the dog and that she lost track of time while she was shopping,” said Dillon.

Store workers paged the woman over a public address system several times but there was no response, he said.

“What she was doing there we don’t know but she doesn’t work there,” Dillon said.