ONTARIO, Calif. -- A woman was arrested and charged with animal cruelty after Humane Society and SCPA officers found one dead dog and two more animals in distress inside a hot car in Ontario, authorities said.
Jennifer Arriaga faces three counts of felony animal cruelty.
According to the Inland Valley Humane Society and SCPA, animal officers, along with police, found the three animals locked inside a parked car on the 3400 block of Shelby Street. One dog was deceased on arrival, according to the Humane Society.
The temperature inside the car was more than 113 degrees.
Officers immediately broke the window of the vehicle and pulled the animals out. In addition to the deceased dog, one cat and another dog were rescued alive, but in "heavy distress."
Officers do not know how long the animals had been inside the sweltering vehicle.
Both the surviving dog and cat remain in the custody of the Inland Valley Humane Society and SCPA pending an ongoing investigation.