Two people from Demorest face charges in Gwinnett County for allegedly leaving a puppy in a hot car Tuesday evening for nearly two hours.
A passerby heard the dog whining from a black BMW parked outside the JC Penney at the Mall of Georgia shortly before 7:00 p.m., and called 911, according to Gwinnett County Police Cpl. Michele Pihera.
"The puppy was crying, panting, and breathing heavily," said Pihera in a phone interview.
The outside temperature had reached 90 degrees, 10 degrees higher than the threshhold set by Gwinnett County ordinance allowing officers to break into vehicles to retrieve animals without liability. The internal temperature of the car was nearly 100 degrees.
Officers also noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the car, said Pihera.
When the two suspects returned, officers arrested Somsanit Thammavong, 38, and Cala Raeann Franks, 25, both of Demorest, and charged them both with animal cruelty and possession of marijuana.
The puppy, named Coco, was taken to an emergency vet, who told law enforcement that the puppy probably would have died, if not for the alert passerby who called police.
Coco is currently in the care of the Gwinnett County Animal Shelter, pending the outcome of the case.
