MORGANTOWN — An unattended dog was found dead in a car Friday June 8 in the parking lot of J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital.
Shift Lieutenant S. Carl, of Morgantown Police, said Denise Vangilder, 53, of Buckhannon, was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals. The dog was left in a Chevrolet Cobalt and was found by hospital security who reported it to police.
Hospital spokesperson Amy Johns told The Dominion Post that the dog was already gone by the time security got to it.
Vangilder was not at the hospital as a patient or to receive treatment, Carl said.
Mon County’s dog warden took possession of the deceased Boston terrier, he said.
According to West Virginia Code 61-8-19 “It is unlawful for any person to intentionally, knowingly or recklessly, … leave an animal unattended and confined in a motor vehicle when physical injury to or the death of the animal is likely to result.”
Violation of that section is punishable by a fine of not less than $300 and not more than $2,000 and/or not more than six months in jail.
A study conducted by Stanford University showed that the interior temperature of a car can rise by 40 degrees within an hour regardless of the temperature outside. Eighty percent of that increase occurs within the first half-hour.
Friday June 8’s temperature reached a high of 81 degrees, according to AccuWeather.
