Woman accused of leaving 8-week-old puppy in hot car in Springfield

A Fairborn woman is charged in Clark County with leaving an 8-week-old puppy in a hot car for about an hour.

April Booth, 41, was charged Thursday with cruelty to companion animal in Clark County Municipal Court. The case was continued until next month, according to court records.

Clark County Dog Warden investigator Beth Hollingsworth began her investigation on June 8 when she was called to Sally’s Beauty Supply on North Bechtle Avenue in Springfield. There, she spoke with witnesses who said a puppy was left in a hot car.

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“(A witness) stated that she and some co-workers were informed of a dog in a hot car,” the affidavit says.

The employees were able to get the dog out of the car using a cracked window, but Hollingsworth said she took the temperature reading and the car was 132 degrees in the backseat.

“(The witness) stated that they had removed the dog from the back seat of the car after noticing the dog for over 20 minutes in the vehicle,” an affidavit says. “She stated that the puppy was panting heavily and after taking her out of the car and bringing her into the store she had been given a bowl of water which she drank the entire bowl.”

The puppy, a gray pit mix named Skye, was taken to the Clark County Dog Shelter, the affidavit said. Booth contacted the shelter to get her dog back and told authorities she was only gone for about 20 minutes, the affidavit says.

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However, law enforcement was able to collect surveillance video of the parking lot that showed she had left the parking space at around 2:50 p.m. and did not return to the car until about 4:12 p.m., the affidavit says.

Hollingsworth said Skye didn’t appear to suffer long-term effects from the incident.

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